Bitter Wood

This genus consists of 35 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found in tropical Africa, SE Asia, and Australia. Quassia amara occurs in forests and beside rivers, often in marshy places. It was introduced to Europe in 1756 and entered the London Pharmacopoeia in 1788. The wood contains alkaloids and very bitter substances knwon as quassinoids. Two other species, Q. excelsa (now Picrasma excelsa, See Jamaica Quassia) and Q. ailanthoides, have similar properties. The former replaced Q. amara in the London Pharmacopoeia in 1809, though a number of other pharmacopoeias, including those of the Netherlands and Germany, Q. amara remains to this day the official source of quassia. A traditional way of taking quassia was by "bitter cups" made from quassia wood, which were filled with water and left overnight, producing a weak decoction that was taken the following morning. Quassia was named after a Guyanan slave called Quassi who used the wood to treat fevers — a remedy he may have learned from Mayan Indians.

Upright shrub with winged leaf stalks and pinnate leaves, divided into 3-5 elliptic, abruptly pointed leaflets, which are purple-red when young. Bright red tubular flowers, to 4.5cm (1¾in) long, are borne on red-stalked racemes, to 25cm (10in) long, toward the end of the rainy season or early in the dry season, followed by purple-black fruits.

Common Name:	Bitter Wood
Other Names:	Surinam Quassia
Botanical Name:	Quassia amara
Genus:	Quassia
Family:	Simaroubaceae
Native Location:	C America to Brazil
Cultivation:	Moist, rich, sandy soil in partial shade. Prefers high humidity.
Propagation:	By ripewood cuttings in autumn.
Harvest:	Wood is cut as required and chipped for use in decoctions.
Height:	3m (10ft)
Width:	1.5m (5ft)
Hardiness:	Min. 10°C (50°F)
Parts Used:	Wood
Properties:	An odorless, bitter, tonic herb that lowers fever, stimulates the digestive system, and expels intestinal parasites.
Medicinal Uses:	Internally for poor appetite and digestion, anorexia, alcoholism, feverish illnesses (especially malaria), and roundworms. Externally as an enema for threadworms, as a lotion for skin parasites, and in rinses for dandruff and head lice; also in preparations to stop nail biting.
Culinary Uses:	Extracts are added to beer, spirits, and soft drinks.
Economic Uses:	Quassia chips are used to make an insecticide for insect pests, such as aphids and spider mites, also as a fly killer.
Warning:	Excess causes gastic irritation and vomiting
Bibliography:	Encylopedia of Herbs by Deni Brown Copyright ©: 1995, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited pg. 338