Quassia (Simaruba)
Quassia amara
About Quassia (Simaruba)
Quassia (Simaruba) (Quassia amara) is a herb used in the Shipibo & Upper Amazonian Shamanism tradition to help with Malaria, Fever, Digestive Issues, and Parasites, among 1 other condition it addresses. The aerial parts and leaves are the parts traditionally used, taken internally.
Botanical background
Quassia amara, also known as amargo, bitter-ash, bitter-wood, or hombre grande (spanish for big man) is a species in the genus Quassia, with some botanists treating it as the sole species in the genus. The genus was named by Carl 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.
Source: Wikipedia, via iNaturalist