quassia

quassia
Bitterwood, the heartwood of Picrasma excelsa (Picraena excelsa), known as Jamaica q., or of Q. amara (family Simarubaceae), known as Surinam q.; a bitter tonic; the infusion has been administered by enema in the treatment of threadworms. [Quassi, a resident of Surinam who used it as a tonic]

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quas·sia 'kwäsh-(ē-)ə, 'kwäs-ē-ə n
1) cap a genus of shrubs and trees (family Simaroubaceae) with clusters of scarlet flowers compare SIMAROUBA
2) a drug derived from the heartwood and bark of various tropical trees (family Simaroubaceae) and used esp. as a bitter tonic and remedy for roundworms in children and as an insecticide
Quas·si 'kwäs-ē Graman (fl 1730)
Suriname slave. Quassi was a black slave who obtained his freedom and practiced as a medicine man. Around 1730 he discovered the medicinal value of the bark and heartwood of certain trees in the treatment of malignant fevers common in Suriname. According to tradition, a traveling Swede bought the secret of the cures and brought specimens of the plants back to Sweden. Linnaeus examined the plants and named the genus Quassia. Later, the name quassia was applied to the drug as well.

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Quas·sia (kwoshґə) [Quassi, 18th century slave of Surinam, who used it] a genus of tropical trees of the family Simaroubaceae whose wood is used as an antipyretic. Q. amaґra L. is Surinam quassia, a source of medicinal quassia.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • quassia — [ kwasja ] n. m. • 1771; lat. bot. quassia; de Coissi, n. d un guérisseur de Guyane hollandaise (auj. Surinam) ♦ Bot. Petit arbre tropical (simarubacées) fournissant le bois de Surinam. On dit aussi QUASSIER [ kwasje ], 1804 . ● quassia ou… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Quassia — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda ? Quassia Quassia amara Clasificación científica …   Wikipedia Español

  • Quassia — Quassia …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Quassĭa — (Q. L.), Pflanzengattung aus der Familie der Simarubaceae, 10. Kl. 1. Ordn. L.; Art: Q. amara, hoher, ästiger Strauch, mit gefiederten Blättern, purpurrothen, in einseitige, lange Trauben geordneten, schönen Blüthen, in Surinam u. einigen anderen …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • quassia — [kwäsh′ə, kwäsh′ē ə; kwäs′ē ə] n. [ModL, after Graman Quassi, black slave of Suriname who prescribed it for fever, c. 1730] 1. any of a genus (Quassia) of shrubs and trees of the quassia family 2. the wood of either of two tropical trees… …   English World dictionary

  • quassia — planta arbórea de América del Sur (Quassia amara). La raíz, amarga contiene cuasina, un alcaloide utilizado en las dispepsias, diarreas atónicas y vómitos nerviosos y como antihelmíntico. La Quassia de Jamaica (Picraena excelsa) es un árbol con… …   Diccionario médico

  • Quassia — Quas si*a, n. [NL. From the name of a negro, Quassy, or Quash, who prescribed this article as a specific.] The wood of several tropical American trees of the order {Simarube[ae]}, as {Quassia amara}, {Picr[ae]na excelsa}, and {Simaruba amara}. It …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Quassĭa — L. (Quassie, Bitterholzbaum, Bitteresche), Gattung der Simarubazeen mit nur zwei Arten, einer afrikanischen und Q. amara L., einem kleinen Baum mit zweijochig gefiederten Blättern, gegliedert geflügelter und, wie die Mittelnerven der Blättchen,… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Quassia — Quassĭa L., Pflanzengattg. der Simarubazeen. Q. amāra L., in Surinam (Niederländ. Guayana) einheimisches Bäumchen, anderwärts kultiviert, liefert das stark und anhaltend bitter schmeckende, im Aufguß gegen Verdauungsschwäche wirksame, auch als… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • quássia — s. f. Arbusto rutáceo (simarubáceo) amargo e medicinal, da Guiana e das Antilhas …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • Quassia — taxobox name = Quassia image caption = Quassia amara regnum = Plantae unranked divisio = Angiosperms unranked classis = Eudicots unranked ordo = Rosids ordo = Sapindales familia = Simaroubaceae genus = Quassia genus authority = L. subdivision… …   Wikipedia

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