Cascarilla

Croton eluteria, known as cascarilla, belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae and is native to the Caribbean. It grows as a small tree or tall shrub, rarely reaching 20 feet (6 m) in height. It is found in the Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica, in thickets and woodlands on limestone soils. The leaves are alternate and ovate-lanceolate, and average 2 inches (5 cm) long. The scented bark is fissured, pale yellowish brown, and may be covered in lichen. The quills of dried bark average 2 inches in length and 3/8 inch in thickness. The bark is hard and compact, breaking with a short, resinous fracture. The flowers are small, with white petals, and very fragrant. They appear in March and April.

The bark contains between 1% and 3% volatile oils, a series of diterpenoid compounds called cascarillins, lignins, tannin and resins. Cascarilla is a commercially available and cheap source of polyfunctionalized diterpenoids of the clerodane type. Ten further diterpenoids, the eluterins A–J, have been isolated alongside the bitter triol cascarillin. Cascarillin is a mixture of interconverting γ-lactols; it has the formula C₂₂H₃₂O₇ and a molecular weight of 408.5.

Among the main constituents of the oil are l-limonene, p-cymene, eugenol and cascarillic acid. The oil also contains an alcohol, two sesquiterpenes, and a mixture of solid palmitic and stearic acids. The oil is soluble in most fixed oils and in mineral oil, but practically insoluble in glycerin and in propylene glycol. The bark's essential oil is antimicrobial. The oil has the FEMA number 2255.

Cascarilla has a very long history of traditional herbal medicine use. It has long been used as a general bitter digestive aid. Cascarilla and its major chemical compound, cascarillin, were found to significantly increase gastric acid secretion in the stomach. The bark is gathered from the wild and traded internationally. The bark yields a good, black dye, and the leaves can be infused for a digestive tea. Croton cascarilla, the Wild Rosemary of the West Indies, was at first thought to be the source of the Cascarilla of commerce.

—

Related: Alder · Alpha Humulene · Amaranth · Amberever · Amburana Bark · Amyris · Antillone