Genus: Cinchona
Common name: Cinchona officinalis. Quinine tree. Peruvian bark.
Family: Rubiaceae
Native to the tropical Andean forests of western South America, the Cinchona officinalis tree is the national tree of Peru. The bark of this small flowering tree contains quinine, an alkaloid which has historically been used for the prevention and treatment of malaria fever. Peruvian bark plays a significant role in the development of homeopathy. In 1789, Samuel Hahnemann was translating the book, A Treatise of the Materia Medica by Dr. William Cullen, a Scottish physician and chemist, and disagreed with Cullen’s statement that cinchona bark was effective for treating malaria due to its bitter properties. Hahnemann determined to test this for himself and for several days took small doses of the dried powdered bark. As a result, he developed symptoms of malaria – chills, fever, headache, etc. which stopped when he discontinued taking the herb. Hahnemann realized that he had experienced the long forgotten natural law of similars that Hippocrates had expounded centuries earlier. For the rest of his life, Samuel Hahnemann experimented, developed, and refined this gentle system of healing by homeopathy.
As a homeopathic remedy, cinchona officinalis is known as China, and it is used in the treatment of malaria or when there has been a loss of body fluids due to diarrhea, breastfeeding, vomiting, heavy menstruation, or other profuse discharges. China can be helpful in gallbladder disorders and when the abdomen is bloated and distended due to an accumulation of gas, which eructations and flatus do not relieve. Mentally, the person needing this remedy is delicate, idealistic, touchy, and sensitive. There may be an inner “Walter Mitty” tendency to live in a fantasy world, to make grandiose plans, to have fanciful daydreams, and to imagine courageous deeds. But in reality, the person feels weak, persecuted, and unfortunate. This remedy is especially useful in teenagers. The gentle action of this homeopathic remedy can restore balance in the individual physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Keynotes:
- Oversensitive, senses overly acute
- Touchy, irritable, moody, sarcastic
- Idealistic, artistic, poetic, full of plans and grand ideas, an intense inner life
- Insomnia, sleepless from activity of mind, excited thoughts and ambitious fantasies
- Fear of domesticated animals
- Ailments from loss of fluids
- Anemia
- Periodical complaints – headache, diarrhea, fever
- Bloated, distended abdomen with no relief from eructation or flatus
- Great hunger, especially at night, but easy satiety during the day
- Gallbladder colic, colitis, gastritis, liver disorders
- Pains better with hard pressure
- Asthma in the fall, pneumonia, bronchitis
- Chilly and worse in cold damp weather, sensitive to drafts
- Aversion to touch and aggravation from touch
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