What is Quinine?

• Quinine comes from the Amerindian word for the cinchona tree, quinaquina, which means "bark of barks" and was named by two French scientists in the late 1800's. Its history dates back as far as the 17th century and was first recorded in Jesuit writings in 1633. South American Indians used the powder to treat fevers for centuries.
  
  Due to the difficulty in obtaining quinine through natural resources, American scientists developed a synthetic form of quinine in 1944. Though synthetic quinine offers fewer side effects, the parasite that causes malaria has become resistant to the synthetic form necessitating a return to the use of natural quinine.
  
  

Medical Uses of Quinine

• Although quinine is most known for treatment of malaria, due to its muscle relaxant properties it has also been used to treat leg cramps, facial palsy and muscle cramps associated with early onset of kidney failure.
  
  It should be noted that as of 2007 the FDA has approved the use of quinine only for the treatment of malaria and all other non-FDA approved medications containing the drug have been recalled.
  
  

Non-medical uses of Quinine

• In addition to medical uses of quinine there are several non-medical applications including use in preparations for treatment of sunburn and in liquors, bitters and tonics.
  
  Perhaps it is best known for its use in tonic water and other beverages. It is the cause of the bitter taste in tonic water. In fact, gin and tonic was thought to have been a preventative for the onset of malarial symptoms.
  
  In the United States, beverages containing quinine cannot contain more than 83 parts per million of the alkaloid.
  
  

Side Effects

• Overdosing on quinine can cause ringing in the ears, dizziness, nausea, temporary hearing loss and stomach upset. Severe cases of quinine overdose can lead to coma, circulatory collapse and kidney failure.
  
  

Considerations

• Due to ongoing research into the potentially lethal side effects of quinine, scientists have discovered what could be a breakthrough in combating the toxic effects of the drug.
  
  Tryptophan, an essential amino acid and therefore not produced by the human body, could be the key to avoiding all such effects of the medication. A recent study revealed that organisms that were deficient in tryptophan suffered the toxic effects while those organisms with sufficient tryptophan levels showed minimal side effects.
  
  Research suggests that the use of tryptophan as a dietary supplement while undergoing treatment with quinine could be a way to avoid the toxic effects usually associated with quinine treatment. Studies are now needed to investigate the effect that the supplement may have on the action of the drug itself.