Quillaja-Quillaja saponaria Molina belonging to family Rosaceae.

2.8.2.5 Quillaja

Synonyms Soap bark; Quillay bark; Panama bark; China bark; Murillo bark; Quillaia bark. Biological Source Quillaja bark consists of the inner dried bark of Quillaja saponaria Molina belonging to family Rosaceae.

Geographical Source The plant is grown in South America i.e., Peru and Chile. It is also cultivated in Northern India.

Preparation The bark is collected from the trunk of wild plants. Careful incisions are made on the trunk and the bark is stripped off. The bark is freed from the outer dark coloured cork, cut into small pieces, dried, graded and packed in polybags.

Description

Colour : Outer surface: Pale yellowish brown, smooth with occasional reddish or blackish patches Inner surface: Yellowish white, smooth and hard

Odour : Odourless

Taste : Astringent and acrid

Size : Length = 100 cm; Breadth = 10-20 cm; Thickness = 5-10 mm

Shape : Hard, tough and flat

Fracture : Splintery.

Chemical Constituents Quillaja (quillaia) contains 9-10% of colourless amorphous triterpenoid saponin glycosides. The glycosides on hydrolysis give rise to quillaic acid and quillaia sapotoxin. The acrid and astringent taste of the bark is due to the presence of quillaia sapotoxin.

Besides, the drug also contains tannin, starch, sucrose and calcium oxalate.

Uses

1. It is used in mineral water industry.

2. It is employed for making shampoo liquid.

3. It is mostly used as a foam producer.

4. It is generally employed as an emulsifying agent.

Source: Pharmacognosy And Pharmacobiotechnology By Ashutosh Kar