I Speak For The Trees

Cinchona, growing at Guarumal, Pichincha Province.  The photos detail both the flowers and general leaf habit of a tree of about 5 meters, estimated to be about 150 years old.  Cinchona, named after the wife of the Viceroy of Peru, is the source of medicinal Quinine, the malarial cure.  During the expansion and colonization of Africa, where malaria is a common affliction, entire forests were cut to harvest the bark of the Cinchona trees, and the dried preparation was worth more than its weight in gold.  In Ecuador, Cinchona is considered a threatened or near-endangered species, especially those populations endemic to the Parque Nacional Podocarpus.  A process of replanting exists, but the trees are extremely slow growers, taking up to 50 years to flower.

The bark is the main part of the tree used medicinally; it is dried and powdered as an anti-malarial, and is the basis of the flavour of tonic water.  In addition to its anti-malarial effects, Cinchona is used against parasites, as a bitter digestive stimulant, as a febrifuge, antifungal, antimicrobial, and to regulate heartbeat.  In very high doses, it is toxic and can cause death.  The most common side effect to malarial treatment with Cinchona is vomiting, and this can be ameliorated by the use of Cascarilla in the preparation.