alterative vs medicinal

alterative

noun
  • A medicine or treatment which works by changing processes within the body, rather than by evacuating something etc. 

adj
  • Gradually changing, or tending to change, a morbid state into a healthy one. 

  • Causing alteration. 

medicinal

noun
  • Any plant that can be used for medicinal purposes. 

adj
  • Having the properties of medicine, or pertaining to medicine; medical. 

  • Tasting like medicine; particularly of unpleasant or artificial sweet or bitter flavours similar to cherry, almond or licorice. 

  • Tending or used to cure disease or relieve pain. 

How often have the words alterative and medicinal occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )