A tannin, C76H52O46, that occurs in many plants, particularly in the bark of oaks and other members of the Fagaceae; used as a styptic and astringent, and in the treatment of diarrhea; available also as t. glycerite. Sometimes used synonymously with tannin.
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tan·nic acid .tan-ik- n
1) a tannin occurring esp. in extracts from nutgalls and yielding gallic acid on hydrolysis called also digallic acid, gallotannic acid, gallotannin
2) TANNIN (1)
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tan·nic ac·id (tanґik) [USP] a substance obtained from nutgalls, used as an ingredient of dermatological preparations. It was formerly used as an astringent for oral and pharyngeal mucous membranes, as suppositories for treatment of hemorrhoids, and in treatment of burns, but it has fallen into disuse because of the possibility of severe liver damage. Called also gallotannic acid, tannin, and, erroneously, digallic acid.Medical dictionary. 2011.