Friday, May 23, 2014
Medicinal Trees Quassia (Quassia amara ) expel parasites and reduce fever
By Liliana Usvat
Blog 189-365
The wood of this tree from Mexico and Central and South America has been an item of commerce since the mid-1700s. The wood’s bitter extractive, which has been relied on to expel parasites and reduce fever, is water soluble. Thus in the 1800s it frequently was turned into popular “bitter cups.” The substance also has uses as an insecticide.
The genus was named by Carolus Linnaeus who named it after the first botanist to describe it: the Surinamese freedman Graman Quassi. Q. amara is used as insecticide, in traditional medicine and as additive in the food industry.
Common Names
Origin
Q. amara is native to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Brasil, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, Colombia, Argentina, French Guiana and Guyana. Q. amara is widely planted outside its native range.
Wood, leaves
Usually taken in the form of an infusion, in capsules, or tincture.
Medicinal Uses
The component Simalikalactone D was identified as an antimalarial. The preparation of a tea out of young leafs is used traditionally in French Guyana.
In small doses Quassia increases the appetite large doses act as an irritant and cause vomiting;
A decoction used as an injection will move ascarides; for an enema for this purpose, 3 parts Quassia to 1 part mandrake root are used, and to each ounce of the mixture, 1 fluid drachm of asafoetida or diluted carbolic acid is added; for a child up to three years, 2 fluid ounces are injected into the rectum twice daily.
Cups made of the wood and filled with liquid will in a few hours become thoroughly impregnated and this drink makes a powerful tonic.
The infusion is made by macerating in cold water for twelve hours 3 drachmsof the rasped Quassia to 1 pint of cold water, 2 OZ. of the infusion alone, or with ginger tea, taken three times a day, proves very useful for feeble emaciated people with impaired digestive organs.
The extract can be made by evaporating the decoction to a pilular consistence, and taken in 1 grain doses, three or four times daily, this will be found less obnoxious to the stomach than the infusion or decoction. Quassia with sulphuric acid acts as a cure for drunkenness, by destroying the appetite for alcoholics.
Forestation
Blog 189-365
The wood of this tree from Mexico and Central and South America has been an item of commerce since the mid-1700s. The wood’s bitter extractive, which has been relied on to expel parasites and reduce fever, is water soluble. Thus in the 1800s it frequently was turned into popular “bitter cups.” The substance also has uses as an insecticide.
The genus was named by Carolus Linnaeus who named it after the first botanist to describe it: the Surinamese freedman Graman Quassi. Q. amara is used as insecticide, in traditional medicine and as additive in the food industry.
Common Names
- Bitter wood ,
- picrasma ,
- Jamaican quassia ( P. excelsa ),
- Surinam quassia ( Q. amara ),
- Amara species ,
- Amargo ,
- Surinam wood ,
- ruda
Origin
Q. amara is native to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Brasil, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, Colombia, Argentina, French Guiana and Guyana. Q. amara is widely planted outside its native range.
Parts Used
Typical Preparations
Medicinal Uses
- treatment for measles,
- diarrhea,
- fever, and
- lice.
- Quassia has antibacterial,
- antifungal,
- antifertility,
- antitumor,
- antileukemic, and
- insecticidal actions as well
The component Simalikalactone D was identified as an antimalarial. The preparation of a tea out of young leafs is used traditionally in French Guyana.
In small doses Quassia increases the appetite large doses act as an irritant and cause vomiting;
A decoction used as an injection will move ascarides; for an enema for this purpose, 3 parts Quassia to 1 part mandrake root are used, and to each ounce of the mixture, 1 fluid drachm of asafoetida or diluted carbolic acid is added; for a child up to three years, 2 fluid ounces are injected into the rectum twice daily.
Cups made of the wood and filled with liquid will in a few hours become thoroughly impregnated and this drink makes a powerful tonic.
The infusion is made by macerating in cold water for twelve hours 3 drachmsof the rasped Quassia to 1 pint of cold water, 2 OZ. of the infusion alone, or with ginger tea, taken three times a day, proves very useful for feeble emaciated people with impaired digestive organs.
The extract can be made by evaporating the decoction to a pilular consistence, and taken in 1 grain doses, three or four times daily, this will be found less obnoxious to the stomach than the infusion or decoction. Quassia with sulphuric acid acts as a cure for drunkenness, by destroying the appetite for alcoholics.
Dosing
Quassia wood has been used as a bitter tonic, with a typical oral dose of 500 mg.Forestation
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Medicinal Trees Dogwood (Cornus ) bark is used for ever, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, hemoroids, colic, ringworms
By Liliana Usvat
Blog 188-365
Dogwood (Cornus )
A medicine made from the bark of this tree native to the eastern United States often has been substituted for quinine.
Fruits
Cornus mas is commonly cultivated in Southeastern Europe for its edible berries, which can be eaten raw after slight bletting, turned into jams, and fermented into a wine.
Medicinal Uses
Dogwood bark is best used as an
Infusion: steep 1 tbsp. bark in 1 pint water for 30 minutes and strain. Take 1/2 cup every 2-3 hours.
Tincture: take 20-40 drops in water, as needed.
Folklore
This tropical shrub grows wild in Central America and the northern parts of South America. The bark of the root works similarly to aspirin pain relievers by blocking an enzyme that produces inflammatory and pain causing chemicals called prostaglandins. It gained its nickname "fish poison tree" from the West Indian practice of using it to stupify fish to make them easier to catch.
Other Uses
The flowers of the plant can either be eaten raw or used in the making of syrups, brandy or marmalade.
Twigs used as chewing sticks, forerunners of the toothpick. It was sometimes used as a substitute when Peruvian bark could not be obtained.
Forestation
Dogwood can be propagated without much difficulty by its seeds. The seeds of dogwood are sown in the fall into organized rows of sand or sawdust and the seedling usually emerge in the ensuing spring. If you are using clean seeds the germination rate is excellent, almost 100 per cent. In fact, the dormancy of the seeds is prevailed over by means of cold stratification treatments for about 90 to 120 days (three to four months) at around 4°C (39°F).
Alternately, dogwood may also be propagated by softwood cuttings taken from new growth in the later part of spring or early part of summer and rooted.
While the success of rooting can be as high as 50 per cent to 85 per cent, this method is not generally used by commercial cultivators. Selected cultivable varieties are usually propagated by a method called T-budding in the later part of summer or by means of another method known as whip grafting in the greenhouse during winter months onto seedling rootstock.
Name
Cornus is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods.
Blog 188-365
Dogwood (Cornus )
A medicine made from the bark of this tree native to the eastern United States often has been substituted for quinine.
Fruits
Cornus mas is commonly cultivated in Southeastern Europe for its edible berries, which can be eaten raw after slight bletting, turned into jams, and fermented into a wine.
Useful Parts of the Plant:
- Leaves
- Bark
- Ripe fruit
- Flowers
- Peel
Medicinal Uses
- Astringent,
- febrifuge,
- stimulant,
- tonic
Dogwood bark is best used as an
- ointment for ague - A tincture can be made out of either the leaves or the bark of the plant and can be used to treat various ailments such as eczema, skin infections, intestinal parasites, veal skin, and gout and so on.
- Cornus is also useful in treating colic.
- Making a tea out of dogwood has been found beneficial in bringing down high temperatures, and relieving body chills as well.
- Dogwood teas are also effective in inducing vomiting as well as bringing about relaxation in sick persons.
- The bark of the dogwood can also be used to treat external hemorrhoids. All you need to do is to boil about 4 tablespoons of the bark in about 1 liter of water for about half an hour. Filter this mixture and then apply on the affected areas for relief.
- The leaves of the cornus plant are also effective in treating ringworm. A decoction should be made by boiling cornus leaves along with hag berry leaves. Consume this decoction in order to treat ringworm.
- malaria (substitute for quinine),
- fever, pneumonia,
- colds, and similar complaints.
- Used for diarrhea. The fruits were widely used to treat dysentery and diarrhea. The method for doing this is as follows. About 9 cornus fruits were mixed with some pears and nutshells and a tea was made from these. This remedy was found to be effective for diarrhea.
- Jamaican dogwood is a fairly potent sedative well known as a specific for migraine headaches, neuralgia, and for treatment of insomnia caused by pain , nervous tension, and stress. The bark is anti-inflamatory and antispasmodic and can be used in cases of dysmenorrhea (painful periods). Jamaican dogwood is a strong analgesic that can be used along with other herbs to treat the musculoskeletal pain of arthritis and rheumatism. Preparation Methods & Dosage :Most often as a decoction, also taken in tincture and caps.
Formulas or Dosages
Use only dried dogwood bark. Fresh bark upsets the stomach and bowels.Infusion: steep 1 tbsp. bark in 1 pint water for 30 minutes and strain. Take 1/2 cup every 2-3 hours.
Tincture: take 20-40 drops in water, as needed.
Folklore
This tropical shrub grows wild in Central America and the northern parts of South America. The bark of the root works similarly to aspirin pain relievers by blocking an enzyme that produces inflammatory and pain causing chemicals called prostaglandins. It gained its nickname "fish poison tree" from the West Indian practice of using it to stupify fish to make them easier to catch.
Other Uses
The flowers of the plant can either be eaten raw or used in the making of syrups, brandy or marmalade.
Twigs used as chewing sticks, forerunners of the toothpick. It was sometimes used as a substitute when Peruvian bark could not be obtained.
Biochemical Information
Tannic and gallic acids, resin, gum, oil, wax, lignin, lime potash and ironForestation
Dogwood can be propagated without much difficulty by its seeds. The seeds of dogwood are sown in the fall into organized rows of sand or sawdust and the seedling usually emerge in the ensuing spring. If you are using clean seeds the germination rate is excellent, almost 100 per cent. In fact, the dormancy of the seeds is prevailed over by means of cold stratification treatments for about 90 to 120 days (three to four months) at around 4°C (39°F).
Alternately, dogwood may also be propagated by softwood cuttings taken from new growth in the later part of spring or early part of summer and rooted.
While the success of rooting can be as high as 50 per cent to 85 per cent, this method is not generally used by commercial cultivators. Selected cultivable varieties are usually propagated by a method called T-budding in the later part of summer or by means of another method known as whip grafting in the greenhouse during winter months onto seedling rootstock.
Name
Cornus is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods.
Other Names of Cornus:
- Common dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)
- Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)
- Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii)
- Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa)
- Canadian Dwarf Cornel (Cornus Canadensis)
- Eurasian Dwarf Cornel (Cornus suecica)
- Cornelian Cherry (Cornus Mas)
- Golden Dogwood (Cornus Alba)
- Dogwood (Cornus Contoversa)
- Flaviramea (Cornus Stolonifera)
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