1. Plural of curare; toxic plant extracts or poisons used by indigenous peoples of South America on blow darts and arrows.
Usage: Usually used in plural form when referring to multiple types or batches; Also refers to the active alkaloid compounds derived from these plants
2. Pharmaceutical preparations derived from curare, historically used as muscle relaxants in anesthesia and medical research.
Usage: Medical/scientific context; Largely historical; modern synthetic alternatives are now preferred

Examples

• Indigenous hunters applied curares to their blow darts to paralyze prey.
• Early anesthesiologists studied curares to understand how they blocked nerve signals.
• The museum displayed samples of traditional curares used by Amazonian tribes.
• Researchers isolated alkaloids from various curares to develop safer medications.
• Modern medicine has largely replaced natural curares with synthetic muscle relaxants.