Overview
“Cinchona” describes a genus of plants within the coffee family whose bark is a source of quinine and quinidine, which have historically been used to treat treatment-resistant strains of malaria, heart arrhythmias, and nocturnal leg muscle cramping.
Some commercial products like tonic water contain small amounts of quinine that is known to add a bitter taste. However, in high quantities, often found in unregulated supplements, it’s toxic enough to produce a syndrome called cinchonism, characterized by:
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tinnitus, or a persistent ringing in the ears
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headaches
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dizziness
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altered vision
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nausea
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heart block
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fatal arrhythmias
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hearing loss
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thrombocytopenia, or a drop in blood platelets
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miscarriage
History and Etymology
By 1944, the technology to develop synthetic quinine led to a decline in large-scale cultivation of the plant, though it remains significant culturally (e.g. as the national tree of Peru.)