Quassia amara

Quassia amara

Bitterwood or amargo, bitter-ash, hombre grande (Quassia amara L.) is an arboreal or shrub species belonging to the Simaroubaceae family.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota Domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Magnoliophyta Division,
Magnoliopsida class,
Sapindales Order,
Simaroubaceae family,
Genus Quassia,
Q. amara species.
The terms are synonymous:
– Quassia alatifolia Stokes;
– Quassia amara f. paniculata (Engl.) Cronquist;
– Quassia amara subsp. grandiflora Hemsl .;
– Quassia amara subsp. paniculata (Engl.) Cronquist;
– Quassia amara var. amara L .;
– Quassia amara var. grandiflora Hemsl .;
– Quassia amara var. paniculata Engl .;
– Quassia crocea Vahl;
– Quassia officinalis Rich ..

Etymology –
The term Quassia takes its name from a former slave of Suriname, Graman Quassi, who lived in the 18th century; he discovered the medicinal properties of the Quassia amara bark.
The specific bitter epithet comes from the Latin amarus, a, um: with a bitter, acrid taste.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Quassia amara is a plant native to the tropics of South America and especially the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago), Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama), North South America (French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Brazil , Peru) and western South America (Colombia, Argentina).
Its habitat is that of the Amazon forest at altitudes ranging from sea level to 900 m.

Description –
Quassia amara is a plant that grows in the form of a small branched tree or shrub. It can reach a height of up to 6 meters.
The leaves are pinnate with 3-5 leaflets, deeply veined, glossy, of alternating dark green color, are 15-25 cm long and are distinguished by the broadly winged axis and the reddish veins. The leaf rachids are winged.
The flower is composed of 5 lanceolate petals, which mostly remain closed together forming a cylinder.
The flowers are collected in a 15-25 cm long panicle; each flower is 2.5-3.5cm long, bright red on the outside and white on the inside. They are generally open for two days during the flowering period and each inflorescence has four flowers open at the same time. The flowers are fragile and sometimes fall off the rachis at the slightest touch.
Pollination occurs by means of hummingbirds but there is also self-compatibility. In addition to hummingbirds, pollination is carried out by other birds and Trigona species of the Apidae family.
The fruits consist of five small elliptical, fleshy, purple-black drupes, 0.8-1.5 cm long, which replace the flower and turn red as they ripen.

Cultivation –
Quassia amara is a plant of the humid tropics that grows spontaneously in Guiana and in the neighboring regions of Brazil, as well as in Panama, and is cultivated in other territories of tropical South America.
Moreover, for its beauty, the quassia is also cultivated as an ornamental plant.
There are two varieties of Q. amara that can be used medicinally. It is the West Indian type and the South American variety. That of western India is higher and can reach 30.5 m; the South American one is much smaller, with a height of about 5.5 m.
It is a plant that is traditionally harvested in natural forests. There are reports of cultivation in other countries in Central and South America. It inhabits areas with high precipitation (1500–4500 mm per year) and can appear in arid lands or in riparian areas where there is a permanent high humidity. However this plant is widely planted outside its range of origin.
It is a plant that is suitable for medium (loamy) and heavy (clayey) soils. It prefers rich soils, with water retention. It can adapt to different pH values ​​of soils and is sensitive to frost. It has a high tolerance to shade but requires direct exposure to sunlight to complete its life cycle, in particular for its effect on the production of flowers and fruits. An increase in light conditions increases flower and fruit production although it does not affect seed fertility. Therefore, its natural regeneration appears to be limited by light and interspecific competition with the forest species of the upper floors.
It is also emphasized that the older the plant, the greater the accumulation of quassinoids in the xylem. Growing conditions, in the shade or in the sun, greatly influence the amount of quassins accumulated by plants. This factor must be taken into account in order to get a good harvest. Controlled light conditions favor plant growth and the concentration of quassinoids in the tissues, increasing the quality of the raw material. Organic fertilizers such as deep or organic mulch can be used as nutrient compounds.
As for reproduction in Costa Rica, the flowering period of Q.amara is from October to April, while in central Panama the flowering period is from October to January. The fruits ripen after two months. In February and early March there is a peak of fruit ripening. The drupes show different colors during the ripening process. They turn from reddish to green until they reach a black color. The best germination results were obtained with drupe seeds just before turning totally black. Not only the color but also the size of the fruit are indicators of the vitality of a seed. The fruits of size between 1 and 1.5 cm are suitable for reproduction and can be easily detached from the receptacle.
The plant can be propagated sexually by seed or agamically by vegetative cutting of semi-mature wood. Trees can be grown in nurseries. Therefore the seeds can be sown on substrates such as sawdust, sand or earth. The seedlings are grown for eight months until they reach a height of about 40 cm. Germination occurs within 10 weeks. During the germination period it is important to water daily. In nurseries, a distance of 10 x 15 cm is recommended with a density of 35 plants per m.

Customs and Traditions –
Quassia amara is a plant appreciated for centuries for its medicinal virtues, essentially due to the presence of particular alkaloids.
The genus was named by Charles Linnaeus who named it in honor of the first to describe it: the Surinamese Graman Quassi.
This plant is used as an insecticide, in traditional medicine and as an additive in the food industry.
In its tissues it contains more than thirty phytochemicals with biological activities, including the very bitter compound that is quassin.
Its use as an insecticide and in traditional medicine against many diseases is that of a bitter-tasting additive in the food industry.
All the plant parts are useful for their medicinal properties and the bark extracts are mainly used as flavoring in drinks but also, as mentioned, for insecticides.
Quassia amara is marketed and used interchangeably with another tree species which is Picrasma excelsa, sharing the common name of quassia (and many of the constituents and uses of Q. amara).
The bitter principle found in the bark and wood is used as a base for Angostura Bitters, which is used as a flavoring in long drinks, soft drinks, digestive tonics and even in gin-based drinks. It can be used as a substitute for hops in brewing or it can be added to baked goods.
In medicinal use, Q. amara is traditionally used as a digestive, to treat fever, against hair parasites (lice, fleas) and mosquito larvae from ponds (which have not proved harmful to fish populations).
One component, simalikalactone D has been identified as an antimalarial. In French Guiana, tea with young leaves is traditionally prepared.
The experiments showed high inhibition of Plasmodium yoelii yoelii and Plasmodium falciparum. A 2012 study found that a topical gel with 4% Quassia extract is a safe and effective cure.
The quassinoids, contained in this plant, are secondary metabolites that have a wide range of biological activities.
The plant is in fact known for the active ingredients found in its bark. They have different effects such as increased appetite, tonic, diuretic, febrifuge, anthelmintic and anti-leukemic. They also cause increased gallbladder activity and have an effect against liver congestion. For external use, they act effectively against parasites such as pinworms.
A tribal remedy is also obtained with this plant which is used in South America for weakness, liver problems, malaria, snake bites and back spasms.
Quassia amara is sold in the form of ground potato chips which are used to make tonics or tinctures. They are obtained by immersing the bark in water for a long time.
Among the diseases treated with Quassia amara are mentioned:
– Diabetes; in 2011, Husein and Gulam Mohammed found that Q. amara extract reduced high fasting blood glucose in rats. It also shows that glucose tolerance is increased by the consumption of Q. amara. According to Ferreira et al. (2013), Q. amara wood powder exhibits an anti-hyperglycemic effect, similar to that of metformin. It could be useful as an alternative therapy to existing medications that cause adverse health effects.
– Malaria; in traditional French Guiana medicine, a tea made from Q. amara leaves is used against malaria. Q. amara leaves were found to have high suppressive activity in mice at a concentration of 100 mg / kg body weight. In 2006, a study found that Simalikalactone D should be responsible for the antimalarial activity. In 2009, a new quassinoid was discovered, simalikalactone E. This molecule inhibited the growth of P. falciparum in vitro by 50%. The effect was found mainly in the gametocyte, which is the key stage for transmission to mosquitoes. Quassia amara tea also has an effect on red blood cell count, concentrated blood cell count, concentrated cell volume and hemoglobin concentration. It has an anti-anemic property.
– Ulcers; Quassia amara is used in Costa Rican folk medicine. University of Ibadan researchers found significant inhibition of indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration. The percentage of protection was between 77% and 85%. It also reduces total gastric acidity. It was related to an increase in gastric barrier mucus and non-protein sulfhydryl groups.
– Anti-leukemic; Q. amara sap shows significant activity against lymphocytic leukemia in vivo in mice.
– Scalp problems; the bitter substances of Q. amara attack the chitin of the lice larvae and prevent the formation of new larvae. They also reduce dandruff when used as a hair rinse.
– Sedative properties; Quassia amara bark extract has been shown to have sedative and muscle relaxant effects.
Quassia amara is also used in traditional Indian medicine, Ayurvedic medicine to treat rheumatism, alcoholism, dandruff, stomach problems and worms. It is also used in homeopathic medicine.
As for the contraindications, please note that excessive use of this plant can cause vomiting. Long-term use should also be avoided, as it can lead to visual weakness, even leading to total blindness. It should also be avoided during pregnancy and menstruation, as it can cause uterine colic. It has also been shown to have negative effects on the fertility of both male and female rats. Rats have been shown to reduce the weight of the testicle, epididymis and seminal vesicle. They also found a reduction in epididymal sperm count, testosterone, LH and FSH levels. These changes disappeared, however, after some time. A decrease in the weight of the ovary and uterus was observed in female rats. There was also a decrease in the level of estrogen. The number and weight of the litter were also reduced.
Among other uses, the one that has found greater application is that of insecticide.
Insecticidal extracts from the bark were first used in the US in the 1850s and in Europe in the 1880s.
Quassia wood or bark extracts act as natural insecticides. For organic farming this is of particular interest. Good protection against various harmful insects has been demonstrated (e.g. aphids, Colorado potato beetle, Anthonomus pomorum, Rhagoletis cerasi, Tortricidae caterpillars). Quassin extract acts as a contact insecticide. No adverse effects on beneficial organisms such as pollinators have been found.
Quassia amara extract can be obtained by boiling the Q.amara shavings in water and then removing the wood shavings. The extract contains quassin and neoquassin, which have insecticidal properties. The extract can be used to spray the fruit shortly after flowering. The insecticidal effects are comparable to the diazinon insecticide.
Q.amara extract can be stored for six months (e.g. from spring to autumn).
However, like any poorly studied alternative chemical (even if of natural origin) applied to food crops, Quassia extract can have unknown health consequences. A study in rats in 1997 found that Quassia extract significantly reduced their fertility by reducing testicular size, sperm quality, and serum testosterone.
As regards the composition of the active ingredients of this plant, a share of 0.09 to 0.17% of quassin and 0.05 to 0.11% of neoquassin was found in the wood (in Costa Rican plants). Quassin is one of the most bitter substances found in nature.
Other identified wood components are: beta-carboline, beta-sitostenone, beta-sitosterol, dehydroquassin, gallic acid, gentisic acid, hydroxyquassin, isoparaine, isoparaine, isoquassin, malic acid, methylcanthines, methoxycanthines, methoxycanthines, nigakilactone A, nor-neoquassin , paraine, quassialactone, quassimarin, quassinol, quassol and simalikalactone D.

Preparation Method –
Bitterwood is a plant of which all parts contain the bitter principles and is sold in the form of ground parts which are used to produce tonics or tinctures; these are obtained by immersing the bark in water for a long time.
The trunk, roots, bark, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds of this plant are collected to obtain extracts to be used for various applications.
All the plant parts are useful for their medicinal properties and the bark extracts are mainly used as flavoring in drinks but also for insecticides.
Quassia amara is marketed and used interchangeably with another tree species which is Picrasma excelsa.
The bitter principle found in bark and wood is used in the food industry as an aroma for long drinks, soft drinks, digestive tonics and also in gin-based drinks. It is also used as a substitute for hops in brewing or can be added to baked goods.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.
Photo source:
– https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Quassia+amara
– https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:814006-1

Warning: Pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not represent in any way a medical prescription; therefore no responsibility is taken for their use for curative, aesthetic or food purposes.