QUASSIA 555 



Quassia. Quassia. 



Synonym.— Q,xiasm3s lignum, B.P. ; quassia wood, bitter 

 wood, bitter ash, E. ; quassie, bois amer, Fr. ; quaissien- 

 holz, G. 



The wood of Picroena Excelsa (Swartz) Lindley (nat. 

 ord. Simarubese). 



Habitat. — Jamaica and West Indies. 



Description. — In billets of various sizes, dense, tough, of 

 medium hardness, porous, with a minute pith and narrow 

 medullary rays ; inodorous and intensely bitter. In the shops 

 it is usually met with in the form of chips or raspings of a 

 yellowish-white color. 



Constituents. — Chiefly, quassiin (CuHuOs), a bitter, neutral 

 principle occurring in crystalline rectangular plates. There 

 is also a volatile oil, but no tannin. 



Z)ose.— Quassiin, D., gr.|-| (.008-.02). 



PREPABATIONS. 



Extractum Quassice. Extract of Quassia. (U. S. & B. P.) 

 Made by percolation with water, boiling and evaporation topilular 

 consistence. 



Dose.— H., 3 i.-ii. (4.-8.) ; D., gr.ss.-iii. (.03-.18). 



Fluidextractum Qnassim. Fltiidextract of Quassia. (U. S. P.) 

 Made by maceration and percolation with alcohol and water, and 



evaporation, so that 1 Cc. = 1 Q-m. of quassia. 



Dose.—H. & C, ii.-ii. (30.-60.); Sh. & Sw., 3 ii.-iv. (8.-15.); D., 



Taxv.-3i. (1.4.). 



JHnetura (passim. Tincture of Quassia. (U, S. & B. P.) 

 Made by maceration and percolation of quassia, 200, with alcohol 

 and water to make 1000. (U. S. P.) 

 Dose. — Twice that of fluidextract. 



Liquor Quasaim Concentratus, (B. P.) 

 Dose. — Same as for fluidextract. 



Administration, — Quassia may be given to horses in the 

 official preparations, — preferably the fluidextract, — or in 

 infusion (1-80, in cold water for half an hour, B.P.). The 

 dose of the infusion is § iv. for horses, 3 ii.-iv. for dogs. 



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