Surinam quassia

Neoquassin. Ih.Hydrt)xy-2.12-dimethoxypirrasa-2,12-d irne-i, /1 -dtone 3a,4t5,6a,7,7a,8tlla,Ilb,llc-deca-hydro-5-hydroxy-2,10-dimethoxy-3,8,l la,l lc-tetramethyl-phenanthro[10,l-bc]pyran-l,ll-dlone. C22HmO mol wt 390.46. C 67.67%, H 174%, O 24.59%. Found together with the quassin in the mixture of bitter constituents of the wood of Quassia amara L., Simaroubaceae. known in commerce as Surinam quassia. Forms quassin on oxidation. Isoln London eta/., J. Chem. Soc. 1950, 3431. Structure Valenta et al. Tetrahedron Letters 1960(20), 25 Carman, Ward, ibid. 1961, 317 Valenta et al. Tetrahedron 15, 100 (I960,... 

Picrasma exceisa (Sw ) Planch, or of Quassia amara L., Simaroubaceae. The first is known in commerce as Jamaica quassia, the second as Surinam quassia. Habit. Picrasma txelsa inhabits Jamaica and the Caribbeen Islands Quassia amara is a native of Brazil and Guiana and is cultivated in Colombia, Panama, and the West Indies. Quassin and neo quassin are the bitter principles of Surinam quassia picras-min, that of Jamaica quassia. These bitter pinctples are obtained in yields of 0.1-0.296 and appear commercially under the name of quassin. 

Scragg AH, Allan EJ (1994) Quassia amara (Surinam Quassia) in vitro culture and the production of quassin. In Bajaj YPS (eds) Biotechnology in agriculture and forestry, vol 26. Medicinal and aromatic plants VI. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 316-326... 

Common/vernacular names Jamaican quassia (P. excelsa) Surinam quassia (Q. amara), quassia wood, bitterwood. 

Surinam quassia (Q. amara) contains quassin, quassinol, 18-hydroxyquassin, and neoquas-sin, while Jamaican quassia (P. excelsa) contains isoquassin (picrasmin), neoquasin, and 18-hydroxyquassin as their bitter principles (list and horhammer). These bitter principles are reported to be about 50 times more bitter than quinine (stahl). 

Quasslae lignum Quassia wood Quassia amara L. SURINAM Picrasma excelsa PLANCH. Simarubaceae MD Secotriterpenes (simariibalides) -0.25% quassin, neoquassin and 18-hydroxy-quassin (0.1%-0J.5%). Bl of the drug, 40000-50000 Bl of quassin/neoquassin, 17 x 10 Fig. 10... 

QuassMoids). A group of structurally complex tri-terpenes with various tetra- and pentacyclic C -, C -, C20-, and C25-skeleton. The C2o picra ane system is the most widely distributed. Q. occur principally in the wood of the tree Quassia amara indigenous to Brazil and Surinam as well as the Caribbean Picrasma ex-celsa (Simaroubaceae). They have antifeedant effects on insects and taste very bitter. The most important representative of the Q. is quassia (2,12-dimethoxy-picrasa-2,12-diene-1,11,16-trione, nigakilactone D) C22H28O6, Mr 388.46, mp. 221-222 °C, [aJo +34.5° (CHCI3) - a partially hydrogenated phenanthiene derivative. 

The history of quassinoids began in the mid-eighteenth century, after the discovery in 1760 of the febrifuge properties of a Simaroubaceae, Quassia amara L. (Fig. 125.5). The medicinal property of the roots of this species was revealed to Carl G. Dahlberg, a Dutch army officer, by a Suriname slave and famous healer named Kwasi. This recipe was subsequently made public by Daniel Rolander, a Swedish naturalist. Linnaeus, excited by the discovery of this plant and its uses, named it in honor of the healer. The botanist, however, committed an error in its description, corrected in 1763 by his disciple C.M. Blom [17-20]. 

Picrasma excelsa is a tree with a trunk diameter of 0.5-1 m up to about 25 m high native to the West Indies and growing in Jamaica and other Caribbean Islands. Quassia amara is a shrub or small tree up to about 3 mhigh native to northern South America and growing in Surinam, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and other tropical American countries. Part used is the wood. 

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