What is quassia used for?

What is quassia used for?

People use quassia for stomach and intestinal problems, diabetes, lice, skin conditions, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most uses. In manufacturing, quassia is used to flavor foods, beverages, lozenges, and laxatives. The bark and wood have been used as an insecticide.

What does quassia look like?

The leaves have winged rachis, are compound and alternate, 15–25 cm long, and pinnate with 3-5 leaflets. The plant’s striking flowers have a bright red exterior and a white interior, and they are produced in a panicle 15–25 cm long. The quassia fruit is a small drupe ranging in length from 1-1.5 cm.

What is quassia in English?

: a drug from the heartwood and bark of various tropical trees of the ailanthus family used especially as a bitter tonic and remedy for roundworms in children and as an insecticide.

What is quassia bark?

Quassia, also known as Jamaica Quassia and Bitter Wood, is a small, shrubby tree native to the West Indies. Its species name, amara, is derived from the Spanish word amargo, which means “bitter”, is a very popular bark in making bitters.

How do you use quassia powder?

Infuse in oil or tincture for topical use. Add tinctured quassia to digestifs and herbal bitters. Make a strong infusion of powdered quassia to make a natural insecticide for garden plants and fruit trees.

Does quassia contain quinine?

The quassia bark contains quassin and allied quassinoids, which are 50–60 times more bitter than quinine sulfate….DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS.

What is Jamaican bitter wood?

Quassia (Picrasma Excelsa) wood, or what Jamaican locals refer to as bitter wood, is indigenous to Jamaica and many other islands of the Caribbean. The tall elegant trees, can reach heights of up to fifteen (15) feet tall.

What good are quassia chips?

Quassia is used for treating an eating disorder called anorexia, indigestion, constipation, and fever. It is also used to rid the intestines of various kinds of worms; as a tonic or purgative; and as a mouthwash.

How do you make quassia tea?

First, make a quassia tea by boiling 2 tbsps of quassia bark in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Filter this to remove the bark. Give this a taste to determine bitterness – it will be strong!

Why is quinine not good for you?

Quinine may cause a condition that affects the heart rhythm (QT prolongation). QT prolongation can rarely cause serious (rarely fatal) fast/irregular heartbeat and other symptoms (such as severe dizziness, fainting) that need medical attention right away.

What are quassia chips?

Quassia is used for debilitated digestion and loss of appetite, as in convalescence. It is also used for Anorexia nervosa, malaria, nematode worms and threadworms. Externally it can be used for Lice infestations. Quassia Chips contain insecticidal properties against flies, red spider mite, aphid and woolly aphid.

How do you use Jamaican bitter wood?

The wood of quassia plant is used as a tonic for stomach problems. Take a cup made of quassia wood and fill it with water. Leave this water overnight. It becomes a good bitter tonic for the stomach and provides relief in dysentery and infections.

How do you use Quassia for head lice?

Fore Head Lice: Place 1oz (25 grams) of Quassia chips in a saucepan and pour one pint of boiling water over them. This loosens the oil in the chips. Leave overnight and the next day bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Let it cool and transfer to a spray bottle. 1 SHAMPOO hair, rinse, apply conditioner.

What are the side effects of Quassia tincture for lice?

Lice. Early research suggests that applying quassia tincture one time can kill head lice. However, the lice might come back. Some research shows that two applications within one week might be more effective than a single application. Appetite loss (anorexia). Indigestion. Constipation. Fever. Intestinal worms. Other conditions.

What is Quassia tincture?

Quassia contains chemicals that might increase stomach acid and bile secretions, perhaps accounting for appetite stimulant and digestive effects. Other chemicals may have activity against bacteria, fungi, and mosquito larvae. Uses & Effectiveness? Lice. Early research suggests that applying quassia tincture one time can kill head lice.

What is the scientific name of Quassia?

Scientific Name(s):Quassia is a collective term for 2 plants: Picrasma excelsa and Quassia amara L. Family: Simaroubaceae. Common Name(s): Bitter wood , picrasma , Jamaican quassia ( P. excelsa ), Surinam quassia ( Q. amara ), Amara species , Amargo , Surinam wood , ruda .