Witnessed by: Western
Red cinchona (Cinchona pubescens), of the Rubiaceae family. Evergreen tree with large leaves and fragrant pink flowers, the bark reddish within; native range: montane forests of the Andes of South America; planted through the tropics. Globally recognized as quina roja · cascarilla in Spanish, and red cinchona, red Peruvian bark, Jesuit's bark, quinine bark in English. The part used is bark. Reddish-brown quilled bark, intensely bitter and astringent.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
RED CINCHONA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- red cinchona
- Scientific name
- Cinchona pubescens Vahl
- Family
- Rubiaceae
Form
- Part used
- bark
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- bitter · astringent
Temperature
- Western
- cool
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- digestion · blood · stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- bitter tonic, antiperiodic, febrifuge, astringent and stomachic; the source of quinine
Cautions
Contraindications: pregnancy in quantity; known cinchona sensitivity
Toxicity: large or prolonged doses cause cinchonism — headache, ringing in the ears, deafness and disturbed vision
Interactions
- Western
- anticoagulants: quinine potentiates the effect of warfarin, raising bleeding risk
This is the card. Sign in for the full four-tradition entry — the aligned TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani reading, actions, dosing and cautions.