Quassia
Botanical Description & Habitat
Picraena excelsa
Family
Simarubeae
Common names
Bitter ash
Bitter wood
Habitat
Native to the West Indies and the tropical regions of the United States
Description
The tree grows from 50 to 100 feet in height and has smooth, gray bark. The leaves are alternate and odd-pinnate with oblong, pointed leaflets. The flowers are yellow-green and grow in panicles. The fruit is a small pea-sized black drupe.
Medicinal parts
Wood of trunk and branches, dried
See also under homeopathic remedies:
Quassia amara (Picraena excelsa)
Historical Properties & Uses
Quassia is one of the strongest bitters known. A weak infusion is often used as a remedy for stomach problems. The herb's main use, however, appears to be as an anthelmintic, to the point where it is designated against roundworms if taken orally, and against pinworms if taken rectally. No research is available to confirm these uses. Its occasional use as a febrifuge has not been proven effective.
Quassia is approved for food use and is often used as a bitter flavoring in foods and alcoholic beverages.
Method of Action
Quassia is one of the most bitter herbs in the world. The bitterness is due to the presence of quassin, quassinol, isoquassin, and related chemicals; together, they are more than 50 times more bitter than quinine.
The enema anthelmintic property of quassia is recognized by most trained pharmacognocists, even in the absence of published verification.
Quassimarin, a component, of quassia, reportedly has antileukemic properties, though the whole plant is not used to treat cancer.
Incubated at 37 degrees C. for seven days with the H37Rv strain of mycobacterium tuberculosis, quassia extract produced inhibition at concentrations lower than 1:80 but higher than 1:40. This makes it one of the weakest among those plants having such activity, but demonstrates the presence of the property nonetheless.
Drug Interactions & Precautions
Interactions
Quassia has coumarin constituents and therefore acts as an anticoagulant.
Possible Interactions
Mineral oil, by sequestering quassia, may reduce its anthelmintic effect. The same may be true, to a lesser extent, of antacids.
Safety Factors & Toxicity
Quassia has been approved for food use by the F.D.A., but in large doses, the herb causes stomach irritation and emesis.
Preparation & Administration
Three times a day
Dried wood
0.3-0.6 grams
Cold tea
made from 1/8 tsp of dried wood
Tincture
1:10 in 45% alcohol, 2-4 ml
Enema solution
1 tsp to 4 ounces of cold water
Note: This Herbal Preparation information is a summary of data from books and articles by various authors. It is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health care professionals.
References
Am Hospital Formulary Service. Am Soc of Hosp Pharm. Wash, D.C.
Bressler, R., M.D. Bogdonoff & G.J. Subak-Sharpe. 1981. The Physicians Drug Manual. Doubleday & Co, Inc. Garden City, NY. 1213 pp.
Claus, E.P., V.E. Tyler & L.R. Brady. Pharmacognosy, 6th edition. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, 1970, 518 Pages.
Committee on Pharmocopaeia of the Am Institute of Homeopathy, The Homeopathic Pharmacopaeia of the United States. 8th ed., Vol 1. Otis Clapp and Son, Agents, Boston, l981.
Felter, H.W. & J.U. Lloyd. King's Am Dispensatory, 18th Ed. 1898, reprinted by Eclectic Medical Publications: Portland, Or, 1983
Fitzpatrick, F.K. Plant substances active against mycobacterium tuberculosis. Antibiotics And Chemotherapy, 4(5), 528-536, 1954.
Goodman, L.S. & A. Gilman. 1975. Pharm Basis of Thera. MacMillan, NY.
Hansten, P.D. 1979. Drug Interactions, 4th ed. Lea & Febiger, Phila.
Hyde. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Brit Herb Med Assoc: England, 1983
Kastrup, E.K., ed. 1981. Drug Facts and Comparisons, 1982 edition. Facts and Comparisions Division, J.P. Lippincott Co, Phila(St. Louis).
Kupchan, S.M. & D.R. Streelman. J. Of Organic Chem, 41, 3481, 1976.
Lewis, Walter H. 1977. Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Man's Health. Memory P. F. Elvin-Lewis. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Lewis, Walter H. and Elvin-Lewis, Memory P.F. Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Man's Health, John Wiley and Sons. New York, l977.
List, P. & L. Hoerhammer. 1969-1976. Hagers Hanbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, vols. 2-5. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Martin, E.W. 1978. Drug Interactions Index, 1978/79. J.B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia.
Merck. The Merck Index: An Encyclopedia Of Chemicals And Drugs. 9th ed. Rahway, N.J. Merck & Co. 1976.
Mowrey, Daniel B., Ph.D. Exper. Psych., Brigham Young University. Director of Nebo Institute of Herbal Sciences. Director of Behavior Change Agent Training Institute. Director of Research, Nova Corp.
Newall CA, Anderson LA, Phillipson JD. Herbal Medicines A Guide for Health-care Professionals. London: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1996:21,45,63,282.
Scientific Committee, British Herbal Pharmocopaeia, British Herbal Med Assoc, Lane House, Cowling, Na Keighley, West Yorks, Bd Bd220lx, l983
Stahl, E., Ed. Drug Analysis By Chromatography And Microscopy. Ann Arbor Science. Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1973.
Stuart, D.M. 1968. Drug metabolism Part 2. Drug interactions. PharmIndex, 10(10). pp. 4-16.
Trease, G.E., W.C. Evans. 1978. Pharmacognosy. Cassell and Collier MacMillan Publisher Ltd. p. 784.
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