Cinchona is a tree. People use the bark to make medicine.
Cinchona is used for increasing appetite; promoting the release of digestive juices; and treating bloating, fullness, and other stomach problems. It is also used for blood vessel disorders including hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and leg cramps. Some people use cinchona for mild influenza, swine flu, the common cold, malaria, and fever. Other uses are for cancer, mouth and throat diseases, enlarged spleen, and muscle cramps.
Cinchona is used in eye lotions to numb pain, kill germs, and as an astringent. Cinchona extract is also applied to the skin for hemorrhoids, ulcers, stimulating hair growth, and managing varicose veins.
In foods, cinchona is used as a bitter flavoring in tonic water and alcoholic beverages.
How does it work ?
Cinchona bark contains quinine, which is a medicine used to treat malaria. It also contains quinidine which is a medicine used to treat heart palpitations (arrhythmias).