glossary

cantharidin

Definition cantharidin

cantharidin

cantharidin n. the active principle of cantharides, or Spanish fly (the dried bodies of a blister beetle; Lytta vesicatoria. A toxic and irritant chemical, cantharidin causes blistering of the skin and was formerly used in veterinary medicine as a counterirritant and vesicant. If swallowed it causes nausea, vomiting and inflammation of the urinary tract, the latter giving rise to its reputation as an aphrodisiac. It is very dangerous and may cause death.