Cinchona and its Product--Quinine Essay -- Botany

Cinchona and its Product--QuinineThe bark of cinchona produces some(prenominal) alkaloids. The most important alkaloid, quinine, has certain febrifuge properties. Quinine was used in the strife 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 inseparable to the South American Andes. It thrives best on steep mountain slopes in rich volcanic soils and an annual rainfall of 1,500 cm.(9) The cinchonas flower in 3-4 years. The flowers phase small fragrant yellow, white or pink clusters at the complete of branches, and are similar to lilacs. The fruits are 1-3 cm oblong capsules with numerous small, flat, go seeds. The bark of wild species may yield a quinine content of as high as 7%, whereas cultivated crops yield contents up to 15%.(l) HISTORY Malaria has been credited to bringing down whole civilizations. bla ck lovage 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, sarcoid set 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 leave out the crops. The fevers may well have been a hindrance to the progress of agriculture. therefore the search for a cure was intense. Countless theories on causes were put forth. Cures ranged from synthetic to the ridiculous. Physicians mixed herbs for medicine. Some bled patients to achieve a balance of blood and bile. unity physician, determining the blood was bad, tied off the arteries of the pat... ...nt Science-An Introduction to domain 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. Travels in Peru and India. capital of the United Kingdom tush Murray, Albemarle Street. 7. Missouri botanic Garden. 1930. Proceedings of the Celebration of the Use of Cinchona. St. Louis Missouri Botanical Garden. 3. Nichols, H.A. Textbook 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 Therapeutic Agents of the Quinoline Group. New York The Chemical Catalogue Co., Inc. 11. World Health Organization. 1979. World Health Statistics Annual. Geneveve