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quassia (KWOSH-uh, KWOSH-ee-uh) - n., any of several tropical trees (genus Quassia) having scarlet flowers; the wood of this plant; a bitter substance extracted from the bark or heartwood of this plant, used to treat fever and intestinal worms and as a food additive.
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The extract is reputed to be among the most bitter substance known. The number of species in the genus is disputed, with authorities claiming anywhere from 1 to 40 -- a bigger range than usual. The genus name, given by Linnaeus, is the Latinized form of the surname of Gramman (or Graman, lit. "Great Man") Kwasi, an 18th-century Guinean who, after being enslaved and transported to Suriname, became renowned as a healer, especially by prescribing quassia for fever, and whose success eventually allowed him to purchase his freedom. The surname Kwasi is probably from an Ashanti dialect, meaning "boy born on Sunday."
---L.
Thanks, WikiMedia!
The extract is reputed to be among the most bitter substance known. The number of species in the genus is disputed, with authorities claiming anywhere from 1 to 40 -- a bigger range than usual. The genus name, given by Linnaeus, is the Latinized form of the surname of Gramman (or Graman, lit. "Great Man") Kwasi, an 18th-century Guinean who, after being enslaved and transported to Suriname, became renowned as a healer, especially by prescribing quassia for fever, and whose success eventually allowed him to purchase his freedom. The surname Kwasi is probably from an Ashanti dialect, meaning "boy born on Sunday."
---L.
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