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View crop Data sheet EcoPortCinchona calisaya
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| DESCRIPTION: It is a evergreen shrub or tree. Flowers white and pinkish arranged in panicles, very fragrant. USE: Its great value as a tonic and febrifuge depends on an alkaloid, Quinine. It yields large amount of this alkaloid, often 70-80% of the total alkaloids contained in the bark. It has febrifuge, tonic and astringent properties, valuable for influenza, neuralgia and debility. Large and too constant doses must be avoided, as they produce headache, giddiness and deafness. The liquid extract is useful as a cure for drunkenness. The powdered bark is often used in tooth-powders, owing to its astringency, but not much used internally (except as a bitter wine); it creates a sensation of warmth, but sometimes causes gastric intestinal irritation. Cinchona in decoction is a useful gargle and a good throat astringent. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial, start flowering after 3-4 years, and are uprooted and harvested after 8-12 years. COMMON NAMES: Quinine (calisaya), Cinchone, Cincona. FURTHER INF: Tolerant to below 7°C. Quinine occur wild in the Andean rainforests in Peru and Bolivia. It can be grown in the tropics at altitude from 400-3000 m. It grows very poorly or not at all on soils that have been exposed to fire. Grows best in areas with a high relative humidity. Mentioned as a useful agroforestry species. | Sources |
| Purseglove J 1974 pp 452-458 [RAIN, TEMP, TEXT, DRA, FER, PH, LIMITS] Kernick M 1961 pp 219 Williams C 1982 Vandenput R 1981 pp 1133 Nair P 1980 pp 261-264 [RAIN, TEMP, TEXT, FER, DRA, USE] |