Amargo (Quassia amara) as a versatile plant because it has many benefits for health

Amargo (Q. amara) comes from tropical America, 2-3 meters high, ornamental shrubs, odd pinnate pinnate compound leaves with 7 leaves with violet red flowers. In Indonesia, known by the name of the Sundanese region, namely peujit tile and ki congcorang. Here are the common names of Q. amara in various countries, including Surinam wood, amargo, kwassi, bitterwood, quassia wood, pau amarelo, pau quassia, quassia amarga, quassia, palo muneco, kvassia, bois amer, bitterholz, gorzkla, pao tariri. For writing here I refer to Q amara as amargo. From the photochemical analysis, there were 39 bioactive compounds. Apart from the alkaloid group, the bioactive compounds contained in amargo belong to a group of natural products called triterpenoids, more specifically known as kuasinoids. The most important cases of amargo are kuasin (kuasin1-α-o-methyl, 12-hydroxy kuasin, kuasin-14-15-dihydro), isokuasin, and neocuasin (neocuasin 11-dihydro-12-nor, neocuasin 12- nor: 1 hydroxy, 16-α-o-methyl neocuasin, 16-α neokuasin). These compounds can mainly be found on the bark. Capacin is a substance from amargo wood that has a bitter taste whose levels are up to 0.1%. Amargo wood is usually processed first so that it is in the form of powder and amargo wood is more often used in the form of infusion by immersing it in cold water or boiling water. This medicinal part of the wood is called lignum quassiae.

Since time immemorial, Amargo has been known and used by the community traditionally, especially its wood parts for treatment. However, its use as a medicinal plant in Indonesia is not very common. The use of amargo in several countries in the world include anthelmintic, aperitive, astringent, depurative, digestive, febrile, insecticidal, larvacidal, lactive, pediculicide, stomachic, tonic, vermifuge, anorexia, increasing salivary, hepatitis, diarrhea, anemic, vaginal discharge, high blood glucose, carcinoma, antitumor, antileukimia, snake poison, malaria fever. Of the many benefits of amargo wood, amargo wood is more widely used as an antimalarial agent because it has a bitter taste like quinine.

As an antimalarial ingredient, amargo turns out to be used as an antifertility material. Most antimalarial materials are also antifertility, so it is very interesting that amargo wood is examined for its effects on reproduction. From the many studies that have been carried out about amargo, here is the research I have done regarding the effect of amargo wood infusion on the quality of mice speematozoa. The results showed that amargo wood infusion at doses of 4000 mg / kgbb can reduce the quality of mice spermatozoa, including motility, viability and normal morphology of spermatozoa while doses of 1000 mg / kgbb have not been able to reduce the quality of mice spermatozoa. Furthermore, infusion of amargo wood is reversible because after infusion of amargo wood is stopped there is an increase in the quality of mice spermatozoa. It can be concluded that amargo bark can be used as a natural contraceptive