cinchona

Everyday

1. A cinchona is a tree or shrub from the Andes mountains of South America whose bark contains quinine. tree →
2. Cinchona bark is the dried bark of this tree, used for centuries to treat malaria. tree →

In the lessons

In science and history lessons cinchona bark was used by Indigenous peoples of Peru and Bolivia and later brought to Europe; quinine from it was the first effective medicine against malaria. Quinine gives tonic water its bitter taste. The cinchona tree appears on Peru's coat of arms. Phrases: cinchona bark, quinine.

Examples

• Quinine, a medicine for malaria, comes from cinchona bark. tree →
• The cinchona tree grows in the Andes mountains. tree →
• People in Peru used cinchona bark long before Europeans arrived. tree →
• Tonic water tastes bitter because of quinine from cinchona. tree →
• The cinchona tree is shown on Peru's coat of arms. tree →
• Explorers smuggled cinchona seeds to grow the tree in Asia. tree →
• Cinchona bark helped save many lives from malaria. tree →

Note

Pronounced sin-KOH-nuh. Today malaria is treated with newer medicines, but quinine is still used sometimes. Do not take bark or plants as medicine yourself.