Cinchona micrantha — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Inner bark

Drink. Quinine, extracted from the bark of the tree, is used as a bitter flavouring in tonic water and carbonated drinks.

Where to Find It

Western S. America - Ecuador.

SOUTHERN AMERICA: Peru

How to Identify

Cinchona micrantha is an evergreen Tree growing to 8 m (26ft) by 8 m (26ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

How to Grow

Prefers high humidity and a temperature that does not fall below about 15°c. Requires a well-drained, moist soil and a position in full sun or partial shade.

Propagation: Seed - Nodal softwood cuttings. Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a sandy soil.

Medicinal Uses

Astringent Cardiac Febrifuge Malaria Tonic. Huannco has a long history of native use, especially as a treatment for fevers and malaria. Modern research has shown it to be a very effective treatment for fevers, and especially as a treatment and preventative of malaria. The bark contains various alkaloids, particularly quinine and quinidine The bark is a bitter, astringent, tonic herb that lowers fevers, relaxes spasms, is antimalarial (the alkaloid quinine) and slows the heart (the alkaloid quinidine). The bark is made into various preparations, such as tablets, liquid extracts, tinctures and powders. It is used internally in the treatment of malaria, neuralgia, muscle cramps and cardiac fibrillation. It is an ingredient in various proprietary cold and influenza remedies. It is also used as a gargle to treat sore throats. Large and too constant doses must be avoided, as they produce headache, giddiness and deafness.