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The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs By Leslie Taylor, ND ; New Book! ; Available January 30, 2005

page 158:

Family: Simaroubaceae Genus: Quassia Species: amara Common Names: amargo. bitter ash, bitterholz, bitterwood, bois amer, bois de quassia, crucete, quassia, cuassia, fliegenholz, guabo, hombre grande, Jamaica bark, kashshing, marauba. marupa,

AMARGO

HERBAL PROPERTIES AND ACTIONS

Standard Dosage Wood, Bark Infusion: I cup two or three times daily Tablets/Capsules: I -2 g two or three times daily Cold Maceration: I cup two or three times daily

Main Actions • kills parasites • kills lice • expels worms • kills insects • kills larva • treats malaria • prevents ulcers • stimulates digestion • increases bile • reduces fever

Other Actions

• reduces inflammation

• kills cancer cells

• kills leukemia cells

• prevents tumors

• kills viruses

• dries secretions

• cleanses t>ooc

• mildly laxative

• sedates

• increases safcva

led as they mature. Known botanically interchangeably with another tree

Amargo is a small tropical tree, growing only 2-6 m in height. It is indigenous to Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname; Colombia, Argentina, and Guyana. It has beautiful red flowers and frails that 1 as Quassia amara, it is marketed an species, Picrasma excelsa. Sharing the common name of quassia (and many of Quassia amara's constituents and uses), P. excelsa is much taller (up to 25 m in height) and occurs farther north in the tropics of Jamaica, the Caribbean, the Lesser Antilles, and northern Venezuela. In herbal medicine in the United States and Europe, very little distinction is made between the two species of trees; they are used identically and just called quassia. The name amargo means "bitter" in Spanish and describes its very bitter taste.

In the Amazon rainforest, amargo is used much in the same manner as quinine bark: for malaria and fevers and as a bitter digestive aid. It grows at lower ele­ vations (where quinine does not) and contains many of the same antimalarial phytochemicals (plant chemicals) as quinine. In addition, it is used as an insec­ ticide and tonic, and for hepatitis. Brazilian Indians use the leaves in a bath for measles, as well as in a mouthwash used after tooth extractions. Indians in Suri­ name use the bark for fever and parasites. Throughout South America, amar­ go is a tribal remedy for debility, digestion problems, fever, liver problems, parasites, malaria, snakebite, and back spasms.

In current Brazilian herbal medicine systems, amargo is considered a tonic, digestion stimulant, blood cleanser, insecticide, and mild laxative. It is recom­ mended for diarrhea, intestinal worms, dysentery, dyspepsia, excessive mucus, expelling worms, intestinal gas, stomachache, anemia, and liver and gastroin­ testinal disorders. In Peru, amargo is employed as a bitter digestive aid to stim­ ulate gastric and other digestive secretions as well as for fevers, tuberculosis, kidney stones, and gallstones. In Mexico, the wood is used for liver and gall­ bladder diseases and for intestinal parasites. In Nicaragua, amargo is used to expel worms and intestinal parasites, as well as for malaria and anemia. Throughout South America, the bitter principals of amargo are used to stimu­ late the appetite and secretion of digestive juices, as well as to expel worms and intestinal parasites.

In herbal medicine in the United States and Europe, amargo is employed as a bitter tonic for stomach, gallbladder, and other digestive problems (by increas­ ing the flow of bile, digestive juices, and saliva); as a laxative, amebicide, and insecticide; and to expel intestinal worms. In Europe, it is often found in vari­ous herbal drugs that promote gallbladder, liver, and other digestive functions. In Britain, a water extract of the wood is used topically against scabies, fleas, lice, and other skin parasites. U.S. herbalist David Hoffman recommends it as an excellent remedy for dyspeptic conditions, to stimulate production of saliva and digestive juices, and to increase the appetite (as well as for lice infestations and threadworms). He also notes, "It may safely be used in all cases of lack of appetite such as anorexia nervosa and digestive sluggishness."

Amargo bark contains many active constituents including bitter principles reported to be fifty times more bitter than quinine. 2 While amargo contains many of the same types of antimalarial chemicals as quinine bark, it also con­tains another chemical called quassin. The large amount of quassin in the bark and wood gives amargo a bitterness rating of 40,000. 3 The bark also contains the phytochemicals quassimarin and simalikalactone D. Quassimarin has demonstrated antileukemic and antitumorous properties in various studies, 4"" 6 and simalikalactone D has been documented to have antimalarial, 7' 8 antiviral, 9 antitumor, 8 and anticancer activities. 10 Other quassinoids have demonstrated antiamebic actions in vivo and in vitro.

Several early clinical studies performed on amargo verified its traditional use as a natural insecticide, documenting it as an effective treatment for head lice infestation in humans. 11" 14 One of these studies reported a 99 percent effective­ ness in 454 patients who had only two topical treatments one week apart. 12 In a 1991 double-blind placebo trial on 148 children with head lice, those treated with an amargo bark extract reported fewer new cases, demonstrating a pre- ventative activity against lice. 13 In addition, an amargo water extract has been reported to work quite well against aphids in the garden, 14 and researchers in India have discovered larvicidal activity against several types of insects, includ­ ing mosquitoes. 15 Since amargo has long been used for malaria in South Amer­ ica, researchers studied this biological effect as well. One study showed strong in vivo antimalarial activity in mice. 16

Amargo was reported to have antiviral activity when scientists at Texas Christian University demonstrated in 1996 that a water extract was active in vitro against cells infected with HIV. 17 A1978 in vivo study reported that amar­ go wood and/or sap extracts (as well as the isolated chemical quassimarin) inhibited the growth of leukemia in mice. 5 In 2002, an extract of the amargo wood was shown to have antiulcerous actions in mice, inhibiting the formation of gastric ulcers (induced by stress and various chemical means). 18 Prior to this study, a U.S. patent was awarded on the quassinoid phytochemicals in amar­ go, finding them to have "remarkable antiulcer effects with low toxicities." 19 In another in vivo study, amargo was reported to have pain-relieving, muscle- relaxant, and sedative effects in rats and mice. 20

In South America, amargo is still heavily relied on as a natural remedy for par­asites of all kinds. It is slowly catching on here in North American herbal med­ icine practices as a remedy for parasites and head lice, but it is predominately used here as a bitter digestive aid and remedy for digestive disorders. Amargo wood is listed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (PDA) as generally regarded as safe (GRAS). The wood and its main bitter chemical, quassin, also are approved as food additives—and are employed in beverages and baked goods for their bitter taste. Toxicity studies performed on rats and mice report­ed no toxicity in oral dosages up to 5 g per kg of body weight. 18

Traditional Preparation

The traditional remedy as a digestive aid is l/ 2teaspoon of wood powder infused in 1 cup of boiling water. This is taken ten to fifteen minutes before or with meals. Alternatively, 1 g in tablets or capsules can be taken two or three times daily on an empty stomach for an internal parasite cleanse. Another remedy calls for 2 teaspoons of wood powder or chips to be soaked in 1 cup of cold water overnight (a cold maceration). This is drunk for internal parasites, gallstones, and digestive disorders. This maceration can also be used topically for skin/hair parasites or as a bug spray, especially for aphids on plants and fleas on the dog. For head lice or fleas, prepare a cold maceration (allowing it to macerate/soak for twenty-four hours). Strain and pour through the hair or apply directly to the skin. It can be washed off in an hour (or simply left on the dog). For lice, repeat every three days for three applications, and for fleas, apply once monthly. Also, a small handful of amargo wood chips can be placed in backyard ponds/foun­ tains (or a few chips in bird baths) to kill mosquito larvae without harming fish or birds.

Contraindications

Amargo should not be used during pregnancy. Amargo has been documented to have an anti-fertility effect in studies with male rats. 21 Men undergoing fertili­ ty treatment or wishing to have children probably should avoid using amargo. Large amounts of amargo can irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach and can lead to nausea and vomiting. Do not exceed recommended dosages.

Drug Interactions None reported. However, amargo may interfere with male fertility drugs.

 

Uses

for anemia, anorexia, colic, debility, dental pain, diarrhea, digestion disorders, dysentery, dyspepsia, fever, flatulence, gallbladder problems, gallstones, gastrointestinal disorders, gonorrhea, kidney stones, liver problems, malaria, measles, urinary insufficiency, vaginal discharge, and as a bitter digestive stimulant

for diabetes, diarrhea, fever, worms

for bile insufficiency, digestive disorders, fleas, gallstones, liver disease, parasites, scabies, threadworms, and as a bitter digestive stimulant

for constipation, diabetes, high blood pressure, nervousness

for digestive disorders, gallbladder problems, intestinal parasites, liver disorders, worms, and as a digestive stimulant

for anemia, bug bites, intestinal parasites, malaria, stings, worms, and as an astringent

for hyperglycemia, fever, liver disorders, malaria, snakebite

for cleansing blood, digestive disorders, edema, fever, gallstones, hepatitis, intestinal parasites, kidney stones, stimulating digestion, tuberculosis, worms, and as an insecticide

for anorexia, cleansing blood, debility, digestive disorders, carcinoma, cirrhosis, constipation, fever, fleas, hyperglycemia, indigestion, leukemia, lice, liver disorders, malaria, parasites, scabies, snakebite, spasms, stimulating digestion, worms, and as an aphidicide and insecticide

for diarrhea, digestive difficulty, dysentery, fever, malaria, urinary insufficiency, and as an astringent and tonic

for alcoholism, anorexia, bowel cleansing, convalescence, debility, digestive disorders, fever, gallbladder problems, increasing saliva, intestinal parasites, lice, liver support, spasms, stimulating bile production, stimulating digestion, worms

for constipation, dysentery, fever, worms, and as a tonic

for amebic infections, bacterial infections, cancer, carcinoma, fever, liver disorders, malaria, snakebite, stimulating digestion, tumors, worms, and as an insecticide and tonic

 

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