The British Pharmacopoeia name for vitamin K. (See APPENDIX 5: VITAMINS.)
n. a form of *vitamin K occurring naturally in green plants and synthesized for use as an antidote to overdosage with anticoagulant drugs and to prevent *haemorrhagic disease of the newborn. It promotes the production of prothrombin, essential for the normal coagulation of blood.
a fat-soluble vitamin occurring in two main forms: phytomenadione (of plant origin) and menaquinone (synthesized by bacteria in the large intestine; deficiency is rare). It is necessary for the formation of *prothrombin in the liver, which is essential for blood clotting, and it also regulates the synthesis of other clotting factors. Good dietary sources are green leafy vegetables and meat. Large changes in the dietary intake of vitamin K should be avoided by people taking *warfarin.... vitamin k
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