medicinal

adjective

me·dic·i·nal | \ mə-ˈdis-nəl

, -ˈdi-sᵊn-əl; in Shakespeare & Milton ˌme-di-ˈsī-nᵊl, & ˈmed-sə-nəl\

Definition of medicinal

1 : tending or used to cure disease or relieve pain a medicinal compound the plant's medicinal properties used for medicinal purposes

2 : salutary

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Examples of medicinal in a Sentence

This drug is to be used only for medicinal purposes. even in Roman times the hot mineral springs of Bath, England, were believed to possess medicinal properties

Recent Examples on the Web

Many scientific studies have found no medicinal properties in either, and some among the traditional medicine community doubt their effectiveness as well. — Chun Han Wong, WSJ, "China Suspends Its Relaxation of Wildlife-Trade Ban," 12 Nov. 2018 But while microneedling has only become a must-have beauty treatment in recent years, the traditional Chinese medicinal practice of acupuncture has been around for millennia. — Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, "What Exactly Is Facial Acupuncture — And Why You Should Try It," 6 Feb. 2019 Hunger and medicinal shortages have pushed 3 million Venezuelans to emigrate in the last three years, according to the United Nations, which anticipates another 2 million to flee to neighboring countries this year. — Kejal Vyas, WSJ, "Venezuelan Leader Starts Second Term With Grim Outlook," 10 Jan. 2019 Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Alaska, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and the District of Columbia have broadly legalized cannabis, while others have either decriminalized usage or have legalized it only for medicinal purposes. — Madeline Farber, Fox News, "Wyoming Highway Patrol officials seize more than $7M worth of marijuana during traffic stop," 30 Aug. 2018 The Mainstreaming of Ayurveda Born out of India over 3,000 years ago, the ancient medicinal system has been a cornerstone of health in the East ever since. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "From CBD to Sex-Positivity, the 8 Biggest Wellness Trends of 2018," 10 Dec. 2018 At this point, marijuana legalization can seem less eventful, given that nine states have legalized for both recreational and medical purposes and 21 others have for just medicinal uses. — German Lopez, Vox, "How 2018 voters could change America’s criminal justice system," 6 Nov. 2018 Labor disruptions could begin next week, the union said, and potentially affect distribution of recreational and medicinal cannabis across the country. — Paul Vieira, WSJ, "Canada’s Legalization of Marijuana Offers a Test Case for Other Countries," 17 Oct. 2018 Four Sigmatic is a Finnish company that blends various medicinal mushrooms with coffee, cocoa, tea, and/or various herbs to produce a variety of beverages that supposedly will increase your productivity, energy, immunity, and beauty. — Nutrition Diva Monica Reinagel, Scientific American, "Mushroom Coffee: The Science Behind the Trend," 23 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'medicinal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.