Bitterwood

At a glance

Origin / distribution: Nc, Turkey, West Indies

Cultural traditions: not documented

Recorded uses: Epithelioma, Fever, Insecticide, Narcotic

Science studied: GUM, ISOQUASSIN, PECTIN, QUASSIN

Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗

Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.

Names and identity

Family: Simaroubaceae

Scientific name: Picrasma excelsa

Common names: Bitterwood, Jamaican Quassia, Bastard Bough, Bitter ash, Bitter ash, Bitter bark, Bitter wood, Gall tree,Jamaican Quassia, Raw dog, Bitter tree, Bois amer, Bois amer, Bois-noyer, Peste à poux, Bois-noyer, Cuasia (Cuba), Frene (Haiti), Goric (Dominican Republic), Jamaica quassia, Jamaica quassiawood, Jamaican quassia (Jamaica), Lena amarga, Palo amargo (Puerto Rico), Peste a poux

History

The source record documents this plant in Nc, Turkey, Elsewhere, West Indies.

It records these historical or traditional applications:

• Epithelioma
• Fever
• Insecticide
• Narcotic
• Piscicide
• Stomachic
• Tonic
• Vermifuge

This summary is limited to the cited source record.

Origins and distribution

• Nc
• Turkey
• Elsewhere
• West Indies

Documented cultural uses

• Epithelioma
• Fever
• Insecticide
• Narcotic
• Piscicide
• Stomachic
• Tonic
• Vermifuge
• Digestive

Contemporary uses

Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.

Scientific research

Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.

Indexed research records

• Inhibition of CYP1A1 by Quassinoids found in Picrasma excelsa. · 2008 source ↗
• [New constituents of Picrasma excelsa, I (author's transl)]. · 1979 source ↗

Scientific compounds

Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.

• GUM
• ISOQUASSIN
• PECTIN
• QUASSIN
• BETA-SITOSTEROL
• BETA-SITOSTERONE
• ALKALOIDS
• N-METHOXY-1-VINYL-BETA-CARBOLINE
• THIAMIN

Legality

Country-specific legal status is not documented in this record.

Consult the CITES species checklist for international trade protections and listings. This is not a complete statement of local law.

Reference images

Sources

Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases · CC0

GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0

CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive

Contributions and revisions

No published revisions are documented for this record. Community submissions enter review and retain attribution before any published change.