Cabbage tree bark

Confirmed tapeworm (Taenia solium) where a single strong purgative-vermifuge dose is wanted to expel the worm

Chronic, well-demarcated scaling skin eruption treated topically as a paste for several days until the lesion whitens and resolves

Overview. Andira inermis is a leguminous tree of tropical America and the Caribbean, long known in Jamaica and the West Indies as cabbage tree or cabbage bark. The stem and root bark were used by the enslaved and free populations of the region, and later adopted into Eclectic and colonial medical practice, chiefly as a powerful vermifuge for tapeworm and as a topical remedy for stubborn skin eruptions. Its historical reputation rests heavily on nineteenth century clinical reports rather than modern pharmacological study.

Clinical Notes. Cabbage tree bark was given historically as a decoction or as the powdered bark to bring away tapeworm segments, working as much by its cathartic and purgative action as by any specific anthelmintic effect.

Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage. In the Indies this agent has been employed for the removal of taenia solium, and in the treatment of certain cutaneous maladies. Attfield, Fayrer, Da Silva Lima, Squire, Hebra, Bernier, Blanc, Thin, and many other medical men have successfully employed this powder in the treatment of herpes circinatus, porrigo scutulata, porrigo decalvans, sycosis, favus, psoriasis, eczema, lichen, acne, and other diseases of the skin.

Botanical Source, History, and Description. This drug must not be confused with Arariba rubra, a Brazilian plant, the bark of which was investigated by Rieth, in 1861, and has been used as a red dye for wool in its native country. Dr. Fayrer was the first to call attention to Goa powder in the Med.