Guaiacum
From Free net encyclopedia
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Guaiacum
| image = Koeh-069.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = Guiacum officinale
| regnum = Plantae
| divisio = Magnoliophyta
| classis = Magnoliopsida
| ordo = Zygophyllales
| familia = Zygophyllaceae
| genus = Guaiacum
| genus_authority = L.
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
Six species, including:
Guaiacum officinale
Guaiacum sanctum
}}
Guaiacum is a genus in the family Zygophyllaceae. The six species are shrubs and trees, native to subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas.
The trees are grown in Florida and California as ornamental plants. The trees grow slowly and can reach a height of approximately 20 m, though it is usually less than half that. They also yield guajacum, a gum resin used in certain drugs. The resin has been used to treat a variety of medicinal conditions from coughs to arthritis. Wood chips can also be used to brew a tea.
Uses
The genus is famous as the supplier of Lignum vitae, which is the heartwood of several species in the genus. Among many other applications, gum from the wood was once used to treat syphilis. For example, Benvenuto Cellini records this use of it in his memoirs. See also the quote by Nashe in the article Honorificabilitudinitatibus (there spelled 'guiacum'). In homeopathic application, it is used to treat patients whose chronic complaints lie in the destructive miasm.
Guaiacum officinale is the national flower of Jamaica, and
Guaiacum sanctum is the national tree of the Bahamas.
All species of Guaiacum are CITES-listed