GEOFFREÆ, in botany, a genus of the decandra order, belonging to the diadelphia class of plants. There is only one species, viz. the cabbage-bark tree. The wood of this tree is used in building; but it is chiefly valued for its bark, which is administered in different forms, viz. in decoctions, syrup, powder, and extract, as an anthelmintic medicine. From this medicinal property it is also called the worm-bark tree. The decoction made by boiling an ounce of the bark in a quart of water, is mostly used in Jamaica; and it seldom fails to perform every thing that can be expected from an anthelmintic medicine, by destroying
Geography worms in the intestines, and bringing them away in great quantities. This bark is externally of a grey colour, and internally black and furrowed; its taste, when fresh, is mucilaginous and sweet; and its smell, which it retains in the decoction, disagreeable. Dr Wright of Jamaica recommends it as a very valuable remedy.