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Cinchona is a genus of about 25 species in the family Rubiaceae, native to tropical South America. They are large shrubs or small trees growing to 5-15 metres tall with evergreen foliage.
The leaves are opposite, rounded to lanceolate, 10-40 cm long. The flowers are white, pink or red, produced in terminal panicles. The fruit is a small capsule containing numerous seeds.
The name of the genus is due to Linnaeus, who named the tree in 1742 after a Countess of Chinchon, the wife of a viceroy of Peru, who, in 1638, was introduced by natives to the medicinal properties of the bark. Stories of the medicinal properties of this bark, however, are perhaps noted in journals as far back as the 1560s-1570s (see the Ortiz link below).
Cinchona species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including The Engrailed and members of the genus Endoclita including E. damor, E. purpurescens and E. sericeus.
Species
Medicinal use
The trees in this genus are the source of a variety of alkaloids, the most important of which is quinine, an anti-fever agent especially useful against malaria. The medicinally important part of the tree is the bark, which is stripped from the tree, dried and powdered. As a medicinal herb, cinchona bark is also known as Jesuit's bark or Peruvian bark.
The plants are cultivated in their native South America, and also in other tropical regions, notably in India and Java.
History
The Italian botanist Pietro Castelli wrote a pamphlet noteworthy as being the first Italian publication that mentions the cinchona. By the 1630s (or 1640s, depending on the reference), the bark was being exported to Europe. In the late 1640s, the method of use of the bark was noted in the Schedula Romana, and in 1677 the use of the bark was noted in the London Pharmacopoeia.
The legend says that the first European ever to be cured from malaria fever was the wife of the Spanish Viceroy, the countess of Chinchon. The court physican was summoned and urged to save the countess from the wave of fever and chill which was proving fatal for her. Every effort failed to relieve her from this ailed condition. At last the court physician collected a medicine from the local Indians, that grew on the Andes mountain slopes. They had been using this medicine for similar syndromes. The medicine was given to her and surprisingly she survived the malarial attack. When she returned to Europe in the 1640's, she reportedly brought the bark with her.
In 1753 Carolus Linnaeus named the bark Cinchona after the countess of Chinchon. The story of the cure of the countess, however, is doubtful.
Charles II called upon Mr Robert Talbor, who had become famous for his miraculous malaria cure. Because at that time the bark was in religious controversy, Talbor gave the king the bitter bark decoction in great secrecy. The treatment gave the king complete relief from the malaria fever. In return, he was offered membership of the prestigous Royal College of Physicians.
In 1679 Talbor was called by the King of France, Louis XIV, whose son was sufferng from malaria fever. After a successful treatment, Talbor was rewarded by the king with 3,000 gold crowns. At the same time he was given a lifetime pension for this prescription. Talbor was requested to keep the entire episode secret.
After the death of Talbor, the French king found this formula : six drahm of rose leaves, two ounces of lemon juice and a strong decoction of the chinchona bark served with wine. Wine was used because some alkaloids of the chinchona bark are not soluble in water, but soluble in wine.
The birth of homoeopathy is based only on the quinine testing. The founder of homoeopathy, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, when translating the Cullen's Materia Medica, found that Dr.Cullens wrote that quinine cures malaria and can produce malaria. Dr. Hahnemann took daily a small dose of quinine bark. After two weeks, he felt the malaria-like symptoms. This was the starting point of a new therapy "Homoeopathy".
Treatments
Cinchona has been used for a number of medical reasons such as:- Treats malaria
- Kills parasites
- Reduces fever
- Regulates heartbeat
- Calms nerves
- Stimulates digestion
- Kills germs
- Reduces spasms
- Kills insects
- Relieves pain
- Kills bacteria and fungi
- Dries secretions
References and external links
- Cinchona project - Ortiz
- Maricela Argudo's Cinchona Project
- Cinchona Bark
- Using Bark to Cure the Bite
- Cinchona Alkaloids
- Puruvian Bark
- Cinchona photo
- Photos of Cinchona pubescens
- Reader's Digest, Strange Stories, Amazing Facts II; Title : "The Bark of Barks" -Reader's digest publication
Rubiaceae | Medicinal herbs and fungi | Malaria
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"Cinchona"