Picramnia antidesma | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Picramniales |
Family: | Picramniaceae |
Genus: | Picramnia |
Species: | P. antidesma
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Binomial name | |
Picramnia antidesma Sw.
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Picramnia antidesma (also known as Chilillo, Majoe bitters, or Macary bitters) is a species of plant in the Picramniaceae family, native to Mexico, Central America, and the Greater Antilles.[2][3]
In his posthumously published work Hortus Americanus, surgeon and naturalist Henry Barham credits an "old negro woman," Majoe, with using the plant as a treatment for yaws and venereal disease. Barham describes seeing the plant growing near St. Jago de la Vega in Jamaica and its use among enslaved people in the area.[2][4]