CORTEX LIGN QUASSIAE

1790-1810

This drug jar is marked <i>CORTEX LIGN QUASSIAE</i>. Cortex refers to the skin or peel of a plant. Ling is probably an abbreviation for Lignum or wood, and Quassiae is a bitter wood. The tree is native to the West Indies and South America. The bark can be made into a tea or tonic by soaking chips of wood in water or alcohol. It was used as a tonic, an antispasmodic, and to reduce fevers. Cups were made from Quassia, and when filled with water, properties from the wood would create a tonic which popular in the 19th century.