Quassia Chips Tea by TerraVita

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Lice. Preliminary clinical research shows that a single application of quassia tincture can kill head lice. However, the single application of quassia tincture resulted in 0.6% reinfestation rate after a week (17492). Researchers suggest that two applications with a one-week interval between them might be more effective.
• Rosacea. Preliminary clinical research in patients with rosacea shows that applying quassia 4% gel twice daily for 45 days reduces flushing, redness, and telangiectasia by approximately 74%, 56%, and 50%, respectively, compared with baseline. A moderate to complete overall improvement occurred in 89% of patients (99995). The validity of these results is limited by a lack of control group.
• Seborrheic dermatitis. Preliminary clinical research shows that applying quassia 4% gel twice daily for 28 days results in complete remission in 29.4% of patients with seborrheic dermatitis. This response rate is higher than the 5.6% and 7.1% response rate for patients using 1% ciclopirox olamine or 2% ketoconazole. At one-month post-treatment, quassia was more effective than the other two treatments for avoiding relapse (99994). However, the lack of placebo group makes conclusions difficult. More evidence is needed to rate quassia for these uses.

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LIKELY SAFE ...when used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. Quassia has Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US (4912).

POSSIBLY SAFE ...when used topically and appropriately. A 4% quassia gel has been safely used twice daily for up to 45 days (99995).

POSSIBLY UNSAFE ...when used orally in medicinal amounts. Quassia wood contains cardioactive glycosides (4), but toxicity is likely limited by emetic effects of large doses (4). There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of rectal use of quassia.

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION: LIKELY UNSAFE
when used orally; avoid using. Quassia has cytotoxic and emetic properties (4,18,19). There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of rectal or topical use during pregnancy or lactation; avoid using.

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ANTIDIABETES DRUGS Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D In animals, quassia extract reduced levels of fasting glucose (99998). Theoretically, quassia might have additive effects when used with antidiabetes drugs. This might increase the risk of hypoglycemia in some patients. Monitor blood glucose levels closely.  Details Some antidiabetes drugs include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, metformin (Glucophage), pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), and others.

DIURETIC DRUGS Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = High •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Overuse of quassia might compound diuretic-induced potassium loss (13). There is some concern that people taking quassia along with potassium depleting diuretics might have an increased risk for hypokalemia. Initiation of potassium supplementation or an increase in potassium supplement dose may be necessary for some patients.  Details Some diuretics that can deplete potassium include chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone (Thalitone), furosemide (Lasix), and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, Hydrodiuril, Microzide), and others.

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General ...Orally, quassia can cause mucous membrane irritation, nausea, and vomiting when used in medicinal amounts (4,18). Long-term use can cause vision changes and blindness (18).
Topically, quassia seems to be well tolerated (99995). No adverse effects have been reported.

Gastrointestinal ...Orally, quassia has been reported to cause mucous membrane irritation, nausea, and vomiting when used in medicinal amounts (4,18).

Ocular/Otic ...Orally, long-term use of quassia can cause vision changes and blindness (18).

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