Cinchona is the plant genus containing trees whose bark supplied quinine for treating malaria.
Cinchona trees are native to the Andes of South America, especially areas of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Colombia. Their bark contains quinoline alkaloids, including quinine, which has antimalarial properties. Indigenous knowledge of medicinal bark was later incorporated into European medicine during the colonial period.
Quinine became especially important from the 17th century onward, when malaria affected soldiers, administrators, and travelers in tropical regions. The bark was traditionally prepared as a powder or infusion, and quinine was later isolated and produced in more standardized forms. Its intensely bitter taste helped inspire tonic water, although modern tonic contains far less quinine than medicinal preparations.
Cinchona is sometimes confused with cinchonas’ unrelated-looking commercial substitutes or with the coffee genus Coffea. Quinine remains a recognized medicine, but other antimalarial drugs are commonly preferred for many infections because of effectiveness, resistance, and side-effect considerations.