Quinine, the most popular and effective natural remedy for malaria

Monday, May 16, 2016 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: malaria, quinine, tree bark

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(NaturalNews) You probably won't hear the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the pharmaceutical industry, or the mainstream media mention this. But natural quinine, an alkaloid derived from the bark of the Cinchona tree, also known as the quinine tree, has withstood the test of time as one of the most effective natural medicines for treating and preventing malaria.

Originally said to have been discovered by the Quechua Indians of Peru and Bolivia, quinine was the malaria treatment of choice for several centuries. These tribes would grind up the bark and mix it with water to make a concoction that would later be known as tonic water. And tonic water, of course, is still produced today, except with lower amounts of quinine, and sometimes even a synthetic variety of it.

Quinine eventually made its way into Europe, and from there into Western countries. And since it is also a powerful antibacterial and anti-fungal substance, quinine has been used to treat all sorts of health conditions including infections, influenza, pneumonia, indigestion, typhoid, and even cancer.

Eventually, drug companies began making synthesized versions of quinine in the 1940s, which led to the demise of the natural variety. Malaria bacteria (Plasmodium falciparum) naturally began to develop a resistance to these synthetic imitations of quinine, which spurred a perpetual quest for new drug alternatives.

Quinine is still used in many native cultures to treat fevers, digestive problems, anemia, fatigue, and numerous other conditions besides malaria. In European herbal medicine, quinine is used as an antiprotozoal, antispasmodic, and antimalarial, as well as to stimulate appetite, and treat hair loss. It is also used to heal liver, spleen and gallbladder disorders.

Tonic waters around the world still contain quinine, but not necessarily in levels high enough to obtain antimalarial benefits. Taking very large doses of the pure alkaloids, however, can be dangerous. So the best ways to consume safe, therapeutic doses of quinine is to use the bark to make tea, or to take it in the form of "bitters," which contain a variety of other synergistic medicinal herbs.

"Quinine is both strongly antimalarial and antibacterial," writes Andrew Chevallier in his book The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. "Like the other alkaloids, it is antispasmodic. The bitter constituents of cinchona, including the alkaloids and quinovin, produce a reflex stimulation of the digestion as a whole, increasing stomach secretions."

To learn more about quinine, visit:
http://www.rain-tree.com/quinine.htm