Common Name: |
Bitter Ash |
Other Names: |
Jamaica Quassia |
Botanical Name: |
Picrasma excelsa syn Picraenia excelsa |
Genus: |
Picrasma |
Family: |
Simaroubaceae |
Native Location: |
West Indies |
Cultivation: |
Moist, sandy, rich soil in sun or partial shade, with moderate to high humidity. Trim plants to shape before new growth begins. |
Propagation: |
By seed sown when ripe; by semi-ripe cuttings in summer. |
Harvest: |
Wood is chipped and dried for use in concentrated infusions, powders, and tinctures. |
Height: |
25m (80ft) |
Width: |
15m (50ft) |
Hardiness: |
Min. 15-18°C (59-64°F) |
Parts Used: |
Wood |
Properties: |
An intensely bitter, non-astringent, odorless herb that lowers fever, stimulates the appetite, and improves digestion. It is an effective insecticide and parasiticide, and is reputedly anti-leukemic. |
Medicinal Uses: |
Internally for convalescent debility, poor appetite, malaria, and nematode worms. Excess causes gastric irritation and vomiting. Externally as a lotion for parasites, such as lice, and an enema for threadworms. |
Economic Uses: |
Quassia extract is used to give a bitter flavor to beer, soft drinks, liqueurs, and aperitifs; also in insecticides against flies, spider mites, aphids, and woolly aphids. |
Warning: |
Excess causes gastric irritation and vomiting. |
Bibliography: |
Encylopedia of Herbs by Deni Brown Copyright ©: 1995, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited pg 315
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