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

Cannabis has been proposed for centuries as a medicinal plant. — Timothy Welty, Philly.com, "Marijuana boosters hail FDA approval of pot-based epilepsy drug. Is it a win for weed?," 20 Apr. 2018 Cinnamon and other traditional Indian medicinal plants are also being tested in the fight against HIV. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, "Cinnamon: Pantry staple -- and medical powerhouse?," 8 Mar. 2018 With the recent resurgence in artisanal, organic, and natural products, medicinal plants are getting their moment in the spotlight, too. — Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, "7 Mistakes You're Making With Essential Oils," 19 July 2016 Valerian is a flowering herb native to Eurasia with medicinal uses dating all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "What You Need to Know About OTC Sleep Aids, According to Neurologists," 30 Jan. 2019 But the federal government doesn’t recognize marijuana’s medical potential, largely because the studies have been small so far, and there have been no large-scale clinical trials proving pot’s medicinal value. — German Lopez, Vox, "Marijuana is legal for medical purposes in 32 states," 14 Nov. 2018 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

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.