Cinchona officinalis is commonly referred to as Peruvian Bark Tree and is one of several plants of the Cinchona genus that contain the alkaline compound quinine. An alkaloid is a chemical compound that occurs naturally in plants, predicted to be a waste product of its metabolic pathways. Cinchona officinalis is a native tree found in the equatorial Andes region. Quinine is an effective cure for malaria. Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite, transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. The microorganism that causes malaria is called a protist. Because of its curative effects, it is now found throughout the tropics and large plantations in Africa and is cultivated commercially.
The first time that the tree was introduced to Europe was in 1640. According to the New York Botanical Garden website, “Carl Linnæus denominated the tree Cinchona after Ana de Osorio, the wife of the fourth Count of Chinchón, Luis Fernández, the Spanish Viceroy of Peru.” The countess was cured from a terrible fever with this plant. She then brought it back to Europe to spread its use among her people. This is just one of the many stories about the origin of the name. Another count is that the plant was originally called quinquina, meaning bark of bark in the Quechua language. The indigenous name is not completely lost, as we still refer to the curative property (antimalarial agent) as quinine.
The part of the tree that is used for medicinal properties is the bark. It is stripped, dried, and ground into a powder. The same tree is re-harvested several times for its bark before it is eventually cut down. The quinine was isolated in 1820s, and because of this synthetic quinine began to be produced in the 1940s. However, some strains of malaria have become resistant to this synthetic substance, so the organic compound is more effective against the protist.
According to WebMD, “Some of the chemicals in cinchona can slow the heart, cause constipation, and affect the central nervous system. ” The regular dosage for adult malaria is 648 mg pill taken orally every 8 hours for 7 days. Because this is such a strong compound, “U.S. drug regulations require products containing cinchona to include labeling that states, “Discontinue use if ringing in the ears, deafness, skin rash or visual disturbances occur.””
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