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The roots and fruits of ''S. amara'' are the parts usually employed in traditional medicine. They are intensely bitter, and are used especially to treat cholera and pleurisy. The fruits are considered a general febrifuge, and ground with roots and water they are used to treat colic and cough, including asthma. In cases of poisoning the roots are used as an emetic, similar to ''Eurycoma'' root, another representative of ''Simaroubaceae'' , often as a substitute for snakeroot ( ''Strychnos'' ). As with many other bitter tasting plants the roots are considered to strengthen the stomach, restore appetite, and be a healthy laxative, if taken in appropriate quantities. In Papua New Guinea, juice from heated leaves is applied externally to get rid of lice.

Though ''S. amara'' is reputed for its application in traditional medicine, modern research has focused on the ''Soulamea'' species from New Caledonia and Fiji. The quassinoids (sometimes also called simaroubolides) glaucarubolone, holacanthone and isobrucein A were found to be responsible for the cytotoxic and antileukaemic activities observed for extracts of the wood, stem bark, and twigs of the Fijian ''S. soulameoides'' (A. Gray) Noot. (synonym: ''Amaroria soulameoides'' A. Gray). Other cytotoxic constituents isolated include cleomiscosin A (a coumarinolignan) and a hydroxy canthin-6-one alkaloid. The alkaloid cleomiscosine A showed activity against P-388 lymphocytic leukaemia cells in vitro. Several quassinoids from ''S. soulameoides'' were evaluated for growth inhibitory and insecticidal effects against the tobacco budworm ( ''Heliothis virescens'' ) and for antifeedant effects against ''H. virescens'' and the fall armyworm ( ''Spodoptera frugiperda'' ). The relative activity of the quassinoids as insect growth inhibitors generally parallelled their known relative potency as antileukaemic and cytotoxic agents.

 Soularubinone, the C-15β15 β-hydroxy-isovaleric ester of glaucarubolone, isolated from the New Caledonian ''S. tomentosa'' Brongn. & Gris showed significant antineoplastic activity against mouse leukaemia P-388 and inhibits cell transformation induced by Rous sarcoma virus. The quassinoids chaparrinone I, isobrucine A, isobrucine B, 15-0-benzoyl brucein D and picrasin B have also been isolated.

Quassinoids and canthin-6-one alkaloids showing cytotoxic and anticancer activity can also be found in other ''Simaroubaceae'' including ''Brucea'' , ''Eurycoma'' , ''Picrasma'' and ''Quassia'' . Some species may well used for certain applications of ''S. amara'' .

*A shrub or small tree up to 5(-15) m tall; young shoots and buds rusty tomentose. *Leaves simple, spirally arranged, crowded at the apex of the branchlets, leaving large scars, blade obovate-oblong, 10-35 cm × 4-12 cm, base cuneate, apex obtuse, sometimes mucronate, margin entire, hairy, midrib prominent below, lateral veins parallel ending in an intramarginal looped vein; petiole 3-8 cm long; stipules absent. *Inflorescence an axillary erect raceme, 3-12 cm long. *Flowers bisexual, 3(-5)-merous, small; sepals puberulous, erect, appressed, 0.5-1 mm long; petals concave, spreading, finally reflexed, accrescent to 2.5 mm × 1 mm; stamens twice as many as petals, up to 2 mm long; intrastaminal disk present; ovary superior, consisting of 2(-3) carpels, not more than 2 fertile, connate, except at the top, stigma sessile. *Fruit an obcordate samara, up to 2.5 cm × 2 cm, pericarp hard corky. *Seed round, 0.5-1 cm across, testa thin, cotyledons plano-convex.

''Soulamea'' comprises 10 species, with 1 species endemic to the Seychelles, 1 endemic to Fiji, 7 species confined to New Caledonia and 1 widespread species ( ''S. amara'' ). ''S. amara'' is a littoral species, whereas all other species of the genus occur inland. ''Soulamea'' very much resembles ''Lunasia'' ( ''Rutaceae'' ) in habit.

In general, quassinoids are known to possess cytotoxic, antimalarial, and insecticidal activities. Although their use as such is often limited by their cytotoxic potential, quassinoids found in ''Soulamea'' , including ''S. amara'' , might be interesting lead compounds in research and development of future antimalarial or chemotherapeutic agents.

*[110] Bhatnagar,S., Polonsky, J., Sevenet, T. & Prance, T., 1985. Isolation and structure of 15-O-benzoyl brocein D, a new quassinoid from Soulamea amara (X-ray analysis). Tetrahedron Letters 26(9): 1225—1228.* [135] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-HA—H) pp. 1-12401—1240, Vol. 2 (I-ZI—Z) pp. 1241-24441241—2444. *[304] Fernando, 407E.S., Gadek, P.A. & Quinn, C.J., 1995. Simaroubaceae, an artificial construct: evidence from rbcL sequence variation. American Journal of Botany 82(1): 92—103.*[407] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.* [418] Holdsworth, D.K., 1977. Medicinal plants of Papua New Guinea. Technical Paper No 175. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 123 pp., *[746] Nooteboom, H.P., 1962. Simaroubaceae. In: van Steenis C.G.G.J. (Editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 6. Wolters-Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. pp. 193—226.*[779] Peekel, P.G., 1984. Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago for naturalists. Kristen Press, Madang, Papua New Guinea. 638 pp.

*J.L.C.H. van Valkenburg