Quassia
in botany the typical genus of the order Simarubaceæ. Q. is a tree cultivated in the West Indies and the parts adjacent. In pathology, the Surinam quassia is Q. amara; Jamaica quassia, the wood of Picræna excelsa. It comes to this country in logs or billets, and is retailed as chips or raspings. It is given as an extract, an infusion, or a tincture, and acts as a pure bitter and stomachic, and as an antiperiodic.