Seidlitz powders

plural noun

Seid·​litz powders ˈsed-ləts- 

: effervescing salts consisting of one powder of sodium bicarbonate and Rochelle salt and another of tartaric acid that are mixed in water and drunk as a mild cathartic

Word History

Etymology

Sedlitz (Sedlčany), village in Bohemia; from the similarity of their effect to that of the water of the village

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

Seidlitz powders

noun plural

Seid·​litz powders ˈsed-ləts- 

: effervescing salts that consist of two separate powders with one made up of 40 grains of sodium bicarbonate mixed with 2 drams of Rochelle salt and the other of 35 grains of tartaric acid and that are mixed in water and drunk while effervescing as a mild cathartic