Cinchona officinalis

Used by 2 traditions1 compound

Common Names

english: Quinine Bark, Cinchona, Peruvian Bark, Jesuit's Bark

quechua: Quina-quina

spanish: Quina, Cascarilla

latin_pharmaceutical: Cinchonae Cortex

Geographic Range: Native to Andean cloud forests (Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia) at 1500-3000m elevation. Historically cultivated in Java, India, Sri Lanka, and East Africa.

Known Contraindications

• Cardiac arrhythmias (quinine prolongs QT interval)
• Thrombocytopenia
• Myasthenia gravis
• Concurrent quinine-based medications
• Pregnancy
• Very young children (dose carefully)
• Cold-type illnesses without fever
• Cinchonism (tinnitus, visual disturbance) at high doses
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Cold-type conditions without fever
• Pregnant women (traditional caution)

Ask about this plant

Compounds

Traditions

Treatments

Conditions

CAS: 130-95-0

SMILES: COc1ccc2nccc([C@@H](O)[C@@H]3CC4CCN3C4=C)c2c1

CYP Interaction Profile

Enzyme	Interaction
CYP1A2	weak substrate
CYP2D6	moderate inhibitor
CYP3A4	primary substrate and moderate inhibitor
clinical_note	CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 inhibition — significant drug interactions with digoxin, warfarin, mefloquine. QT prolongation risk with other QT-prolonging drugs. Narrow therapeutic index.