In South Texas and northern Mexico thousands of
kids, and probably as many adults, have been forced or at least reluctantly acquiesced
to take a dose of Amargosa. The word means,
“bitter” and is aptly applied. The plant
is in the family Simaroubaceae, a small clan confined primarily to tropical
regions. Amargosa is known
scientifically as Castela texana—the genus
in honor of a French naturalist named Castel and the species noting its
presence in the state of Texas. Amargosa
extract is taken either from the roots or stems and is used in the treatment of
Entamoeba histolytica. The efficacy of this treatment has been the
subject of several scientific inquiries and to date the results are promising. But she is a bitter mouthful and when those
who have swallowed the brew are asked to describe the experience the answer usually
comes not with words but via facial contortions. A friend of mine says it was his mother’s
catchall cure for any sort of stomach or intestinal ailment. “She even used it to treat skin rashes,” he
said. To which he adds, “But I’m here to
tell you it’s nasty stuff.”
Below are a few scientific articles on the efficacy
of Castela texana.
Amargosa is also known as Goat Bush or Allthorn Castela.
