Cinchona and its Product--Quinine Essay -- Botany

Cinchona and its Product--QuinineThe sputter of cinchona produces several alkaloids. The roughly important alkaloid, quinine, has certain febrifuge properties. Quinine was used in the battle against malaria since the 1630s. Of 38 species of cinchona, four species have economic value for the production of quinine C. calisaya, C. legeriana, C. officianalis and C. succirubra. Cinchona, of the family Rubiaceae, is native to the confederation American Andes. It thrives best on steep mountain slopes in well-off volcanic soils and an annual rainfall of 1,500 cm.(9) The cinchonas flower in 3-4 years. The flowers form elegant fragrant yellow, white or pink clusters at the end of branches, and are similar to lilacs. The fruits are 1-3 cm oblong capsules with numerous small, flat, winged seeds. The bark of wild species whitethorn yield a quinine content of as last as 7%, whereas cultivated crops yield contents up to 15%.(l) HISTORY Malaria has been credited to bringing down whole civiliz ations. Alexander the Great, in 323 B.C., was afflicted with the fevers which rendered him lifeless and crushed his dream of uniting the regions of his world. The fevers, heavy set apart in Rome, instilled such fear in the Catholic Church that the Vatican fled to Avignon, France for 68 years. Commoners with malaria were left too listless to work. Field hands and farmers neglected the crops. The fevers may well have been a hindrance to the progress of agriculture. Consequently the pursuit for a cure was intense. Countless theories on causes were put forth. Cures ranged from logical to the ridiculous. Physicians immix herbs for medicine. Some bled patients to achieve a balance of blood and bile. One physician, determine the blood was bad, tied off the arteries of the pat... ...nt Science-An Introduction to World Crops, Ad Ed. San Francisco W.H. freeman and Co., pp 650-652. 5. Lambert, A.B. An Illustration of Cinchona. Louisville Lost Cause Press, 1980. 6. Markham, C.R. 1862. T ravels in Peru and India. London John Murray, Albemarle Street. 7. second Botanical Garden. 1930. Proceedings of the Celebration of the Use of Cinchona. St. Louis Missouri Botanical Garden. 3. Nichols, H.A. standard of Tropical Agriculture. 1911. London Macmillan and Co., Ltd., pp. 221-229. 9. Payne, W.J., Dr. 1980. Tree and Field Crops of the Wetter Regions of the Tropics. London Longman, pp. 78-79. 10. VonOettingen, W.F., M.D., Ph.D. 1933. The healing(predicate) Agents of the Quinoline Group. New York The Chemical Catalogue Co., Inc. 11. World health Organization. 1979. World Health Statistics Annual. Geneveve