PDR for Herbal Medicines

HERBAL MONOGRAPHS QUEBRACHO/ 623

INDICATIONS AND USAGE

Unproven Uses: Folk medicine uses include dyspepsia

(Mexico and Brazil), loss of appetite, and stimulation of

gastric juice and saliva production. These effects are

attributed to the amaroid content. Quassia is also used for

fever (Costa Rica and Surinam), malaria, dysentery, gonor-

rhea (Brazil), lice and worm infestations, as an antiseptic

wound treatment, for diarrhea (Costa Rica and Brazil), for

snake bites (Guyana), for liver disease, edema and menstrual

complaints.

Homeopathic Uses: Uses in homeopathy include poor

digestion and liver disease.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Not to be used during pregnancy.

PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS

No health hazards are known in conjunction with the proper

administration of designated therapeutic dosages. Internal

administration has occasionally led to dizziness and head-

ache, as well as uterine pain.

OVERDOSAGE

Gastric .mucous membrane irritation has been observed with

cases of overdosage, followed by vomiting. It is said that

prolonged use can lead to weakened vision and total

blindness.

DOSAGE

Mode of Administration: Preparations are available for

internal and external use.

Daily Dosage:

Drug — single dose, 0.3 to 0.6 g, 3 times daily; Tincture:

daily dose; 2 to 4 ml; Lice: apply tincture twice weekly to

the scalp.

Homeopathic Dosage: 5 drops, 1 tablet, 10 globules, every

30 to 60 minutes (acute), and 1 to 3 times daily (chronic);

Parenterally: 1 to 2 ml sc, IV, IF; Acute: 3 times daily;

Chronic: 1 to 3 times daily (HA).

Storage: Store protected from light and moisture.

LITERATURE

Hansel R, Keller K, Rimpler H, Schneider G (Ed), Hagers

Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, 5. Aufl., Bde 4-6

(Drogen), Springer Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1992-

1994.

Wagner H, Nestler T, Neszmelyi A, New constituents of

Picrasma excelsa. Planta Med, 36:113-8, 1979 Jun.

Quassia amara

See Amargo

Quebracho

Aspidosperma quebracho-bianco

DESCRIPTION

Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part of the plant is the bark.

Flower and Fruit: The inflorescences, which grow from the

upper leaf axils, are opposite or in threes. They are shaped

like a thyrsus and are warty to almost glabrous with

numerous flowers. The flowers are 1 to 3 cm long. The

bracts, which fall off, are very small and have a 2 to 3 mm

stem. The sepals are ovate, obtuse, -1- to 2 mm long and

uneven. The corolla is white, yellow or yellowish-green,

smooth or uneven on the outside. The tube is 3 to 5 mm long

and has long, narrow, lanceolate petals. The stamens are in

the middle of the corolla tube. The anthers are 1 mm long.

The follicles are cylindrical to ovoid, 4 to 10 cm long and 1

to 7 cm wide. They are very woody, slightly warty, with or

without a midrib, uneven and stemless.

Leaves, Stem and Root: The tree grows to a height of 20 m

and has slim branches. The young branches are warty; the

older branches are smooth with thin orange-brown bark. The

• leaves are opposite or trifoliate, oblong-elliptoid, ovate--
  lanceolate to lanceolate, acuminate and gradually narrow at
  the base. They are 3 to 5 cm long by 0.5 to 1.5 cm wide,
  coriaceous, often yellow-green and smooth. The leaves have
  20 to 30 pairs of steeply ascending secondary ribs, which are
  very close to each other and sunk into a thick mesophyll. The
  exterior of the bark is grayish and deeply fissured. The inner
  surface is yellowish-brown, often with a reddish tint, and is
  grooved. The transverse fracture shows a coarsely granular
  outer layer and a fibrous or splintery, darker inner layer.
  Characteristics: The bark has a bitter taste and is odorless.
  Habitat: The plant grows in Chile, Argentina, southeast
  Bolivia and southeast Brazil.
  Production: Quebracho bark is the bark of Aspidosperma
  quebracho-bianco.
  Not to be Confused With: Confusion can arise with
  Aspidosperma horco kebracho.
  ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY
  COMPOUNDS
  Indole alkaloids (0.5-1.5%): chief alkaloids aspidospermine
  (30%), yohimbine (quebrachine, 10%), further including,
  among others, (-)-quebrachamine, akuammidine
  Tannins
  EFFECTS
  Quebracho bark works as an expectorant and stimulates the
  respiratory center. A respiratory-stimulating effect has been
  proven for the main alkaloid aspidospermin in animal tests,