Cinchona

Literature References: Dried bark of stem or root of various species of Cinchona, fam. Rubiaceae, largely of C. officinalis L. (C. ledgeriana Moens) cultivated mostly in Java, of C. officinalis L. (C. calisaya Wedd.) from Bolivia, of C. officinalis L. and C. micrantha R. & P. from Peru, of C. pubescens Vahl. (C. succirubra Pav.) from Ecuador and C. pitayensis Wedd. from Colombia. Habit. South America, cultivated mostly in Java, also in India. Constit. About 35 alkaloids; cinchotannic, quinic and quinovic acids; cinchona red; volatile oils. The alkaloid content varies according to the source of the bark. The cultivated bark contains 7-10% total alkaloids of which about 70% is quinine. Cinchona succirubra Pav. and some other varieties contain more cinchonidine and cinchonine and sometimes quinidine than the cultivated. The standardized method for the assay of cinchona, named "Brussels 1949" is published in the journal De Belgische Chemische Industrie (Ind. Chim. Belge) 15, 328-338 (1950).