Cinchona officinalis
StarCinchona officinalis
Synonyms: Cinchona obtusifolia, Cinchona uritusinga, Cinchona officinalis var. bonplandianalutea, Cinchona condaminea, Quinquina palton, Cinchona officinalis var. bonplandianacolorata, Cinchona condaminea var. chahuraguera, Cinchona lancifolia var. lanceolata, Cinchona vritusino, Cinchona officinalis var. uritusinga, Cinchona condaminea var. vera, Cinchona suberosa, Cinchona officinalis var. crispa, Cinchona officinalis var. vera, Cinchona academica, Cinchona palton, Cinchona subcordata, Quinquina officinalis, Cinchona officinalis var. condaminea, Myroxylon trialatum, Cinchona cucumifolia, Cinchona crispa, Cinchona legitima, Cinchona stupea, Cinchona chahuraguera, Cinchona lucumifolia var. stupea, Cascarilla officinalis, Cinchona macrocalyx var. uritusinga, Cinchona peruviana, Cinchona macrocalyx var. obtusifolia
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Cinchona officinalis is the celebrated 'fever bark' of the Andes. Indigenous Andean peoples of the Loja region of southern Ecuador (Quechua-speaking communities) used the powdered bark as a remedy for fevers and chills, and from this tradition the bark passed into European medicine in the seventeenth century as the definitive treatment for malarial 'intermittent fevers.' In Western Eclectic and official pharmacy the bark and its alkaloid quinine were employed as a bitter tonic, antiperiodic and febrifuge; it was long an official drug of the United States Pharmacopoeia. Felter and Lloyd describe its use as a powerful bitter tonic and antiperiodic in the treatment of intermittent and remittent fevers (Felter & Lloyd, 1898).
Botanical Description
Cinchona officinalis is an evergreen tree or large shrub of the family Rubiaceae, native to the montane cloud forests of the Andes in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, where it grows on misty slopes generally between 1,000 and 3,000 metres elevation. It reaches roughly 10 to 15 metres in height, with a straight trunk and grey-brown, deeply fissured bark on older specimens. The leaves are evergreen, simple, opposite, glossy and entire, with prominent venation. Small, fragrant, tubular flowers are borne in terminal panicles; they are creamy white to rose-pink and characteristically bear hairy, fringed petal margins. The fruit is a small dehiscent capsule containing numerous winged seeds. The bark is the tree's most valued part, being rich in quinoline alkaloids including quinine, cinchonine and quinidine, which gave the plant its enormous historical importance as the original source of antimalarial medicine.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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