Quinine (Chinchona)
As far back as the 1600s, native Peruvians used the bark of the chinchona tree, the only natural source for quinine, as a potent treatment for malaria. The tree was then brought to Europe by the Jesuits and was considered up until the mid-1940s as the most effective preventative treatment and cure for the disease.
Quinine is a true example of how allopathic medicine—or traditional, pharmaceutical-based Western medicine—can benefit from the art of natural healing. A synthetic version of the plant is now available with a prescription as well as over the counter in most U.S. pharmacies for a wide range of ailments. Quinine is used to treat lupus and arthritis, and it still remains a treatment for malaria, especially in the developing world due to its low cost. It also is frequently prescribed as an off-label cure for nocturnal leg cramps.
Used in natural healing, the plant serves as an anti-fever agent, a digestive stimulant or as an appetite stimulant. Modern medicine also lauds quinine as a powerful anesthetic, antiseptic, antiparasitic and fungicide.
