Natural Products That Changed Society
Our story of the Cinchona bark, quinine and Hydroxichloroquine
Until the end of the 19th century all drugs were natural products or minerals. During the 19th century chemists succeeded in isolating pure natural products such as quinine, morphine, codeine and other compounds with beneficial effects.
A turning point in the fight against the devastating burden of malaria was obtained in the 17th century by the discovery that bark from trees belonging to the genus Cinchona could be used for treatment with varying success. However isolation and use of the active principle, quinine, in 1820, afforded a breakthrough in the treatment. In the 20th century the synthetic drug chloroquine severely reduced the burden of malaria. However, resistance made this drug obsolete.
Just the tonic: A natural history of tonic water
The bitter flavouring of tonic water comes from an alkaloid called quinine which is extracted from the bark of the Andean fever tree (Cinchona spp.).
The tree’s remarkable curative properties were discovered as a fever remedy in South America in the early 17th century.
For 300 years, until it was replaced by synthetic anti-malarials, Cinchona provided the only effective treatment for malaria known to the West.
Pitt’s aerated tonic water
Quinine – Cinchona bark
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