Definition

1. Noun:
   • Medicinal bark of cinchona trees; source of quinine and quinidine: "Cinchona bark" refers specifically to the dried bark of trees from the Cinchona genus, which is used as a source of important medicinal alkaloids, primarily quinine and quinidine.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The historical treatment for malaria relied heavily on the use of cinchona bark.
  • Quinine, extracted from cinchona bark, was a groundbreaking antimalarial drug.

Advanced Usage

• "Jesuit's bark": A historical name for cinchona bark, referencing the Jesuit missionaries who helped introduce its medicinal use to Europe.
  • Before it was known as cinchona, the remedy was often called Jesuit's bark.

Variants and Related Words

• Cinchona (n): The genus of tropical South American trees whose bark is the source of cinchona bark.
  • Cinchona trees are native to the Andean forests.
• Quinine (n): A bitter alkaloid extracted from cinchona bark, used as an antimalarial agent and flavoring.
  • Tonic water contains a small amount of quinine.
• Quinidine (n): A stereoisomer of quinine, also derived from cinchona bark, used as a cardiac antiarrhythmic medication.

Synonyms

• Peruvian bark: Another historical synonym for cinchona bark.
• Jesuit's bark: As noted above, a historical term.

Related Phrases

• Cinchona bark powder: The bark ground into a fine form for medicinal use.
  • The powder was mixed with water to create a bitter tonic.
• Cinchona bark extract: A concentrated liquid form of the bark's active compounds.
  • The laboratory produced a standardized cinchona bark extract.

Noun

1. medicinal bark of cinchona trees; source of quinine and quinidine