What Is Coco Quinine?

Coco-quinine has long been celebrated for its medical properties. In addition to the painkilling and fever-reducing properties offered by this crystalline alkaloid, coco-quinine is probably best known as a treatment for some resistant forms of malaria.

History

• By adding water to the ground up bark of the cinchona tree, Indians in Peru originally used coco-quinine to make tonic water that would help stop the shivering that resulted from cold temperatures. Since then, coco-quinine has become more recognized as an extract that is used primarily in the treatment of malaria. In fact, coco-quinine is thought to have played a major role in the colonization of Africa, since the extract was able to drastically increase the chances of survival for any Europeans who came over to the continent.

Function

• Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a resistant form of malaria that will often result in death if not properly treated. While the exact mechanisms behind coco-quinine`s antimalarial effects are not yet completely understood, the extract is known to possess the properties of a weak base. As a result, coco-quinine is able to gather inside the food vacuoles of the Plasmodium and, consequently, inhibit heme polymerase activity within the parasite

Side Effects

• Cinchonism is a condition that can result from using coco-quinine. Symptoms of the condition include sweaty skin, disturbances in cardiac rhythm, blurred vision, abdominal pain, rashes and headaches. Cinchonism can result from both large and therapeutic doses of coco-quinine.

Misconceptions

• Contrary to widespread belief, coco-quinine is not very useful as a method for abortion. In fact, the World Health Organization actually recommends coco-quinine as the first line of defense for pregnant women who suffer from uncomplicated cases of malaria.

Synthetic Quinine

• As the cinchona tree remains the only practical source of natural quinine, it is unsurprising that scientists have tried to artificially re-create the substance within a laboratory setting. However, it was not until 1944 that two American chemists by the names of R.B. Woodward and W.E. Doering were able to formally make the first synthetic quinine samples. Since that time, more refined methods have been able to produce better synthetic quinine samples; however, in economic terms, obtaining quinine from its natural source still makes the most sense.