Which shrub's leaves yield pilocarpine, a drug used for glaucoma and dry mouth? Jaborandi is the traditional name for several Pilocarpus shrubs that provide this alkaloid.
Jaborandi belongs to the citrus family, Rutaceae, and is native to the Neotropics of South America. The name commonly covers species such as Pilocarpus jaborandi and Pilocarpus microphyllus, especially the latter’s leaves, which have been important commercial sources of pilocarpine.
Pilocarpine is a parasympathomimetic drug: it stimulates muscarinic receptors, constricts the pupil and promotes fluid secretion. Those effects make it useful in some glaucoma treatments and for relieving dry mouth, including dryness caused by certain medical conditions or therapies.
A common mix-up is treating Jaborandi as the formal genus name. Jaborandi is the common name; Pilocarpus is the botanical genus. Yerba mate, khat and coca are also medicinally notable plants, but they are not the standard natural source associated with pilocarpine.