The tree is chicken: description, application, reviews, useful properties, contra-indications

This amazing tree comes from the highlands of South America. Over time, it was brought to other parts of the world. The cinchona is grown in the tropics. There is a version that the plant received its name in honor of the wife of the viceroy of Peru, Countess Chinchon, after her cure for fever (presumably malaria) with cinchona bark in 1638.

In natural conditions, the cinchona prefers thick forests. It needs high humidity and humidified soil.

A bit of history

Until recently, malaria, one of the most widespread and dangerous diseases on earth, was considered to take thousands of lives every year. In countries with a humid and warm climate, it was particularly rampant. Since ancient times, folk healers believed that the cause of this terrible disease lies in the heavy evaporation rising from the marshes. Hence its name (malare - "bad air").

Did not pass over malaria and America. But local natives have learned to treat this terrible disease. They made a medicine from the bark of a tropical tree. It should be noted that the aborigines highly appreciated this cortex, which can be judged by the name - it was respectfully called "kina-kina", which in translation means "the main crust".

When the Europeans mastered America, they learned that a cure for malaria exists. But the natives did not hasten to disclose the secret of the "kin-kin", they kept this tree (chin) secret from the aliens. It took years to decipher the antimalarial drug.

The emergence of a medicine for malaria in Europe

At the very beginning of the XVII century in the Spanish colony of Peru, the post of vice-king was occupied by Luis Qinghong. He did his best to help the Europeans uncover the secret of the antimalarial drug. In 1638, his wife Anna Tsinghon (Chinchon) became ill with fever (as malaria was often called in those days). And a miracle happened: it was cured by the bark of some unknown tree.

After a while, Luis Qinghong became ill. The disease caused him to come to Spain in 1641. With him, he brought a batch of curative "kina-kina" cortex. But at that time the European doctors could not make an effective drug out of it. Mockery: Tsinghon was the first to bring to Europe an effective remedy for malaria, from which he himself died.

After this, the Europeans succeeded in various ways-righteous, and more often unjust, ways of extracting from the natives a medicinal cortex and bringing it to their continent. In the end, the medicine appeared in Europe. The doctor Talbor (Britain) has especially succeeded in treating malaria. He cured many patients from this disease. Among his grateful patients was the French King Louis XIV.

As it turned out, the technology of cooking medicinal products was, like all ingenious, surprisingly simple. The bark was ground into a fine powder and poured with wine. As a result, they received an incredibly bitter tincture. From the native name it was called "Hina". The tree from which they received this bark, accordingly, became cynical. At the beginning of the XIX century, the famous Russian scientist FI Gize found out that the cortex is attached to the healing properties of the alkaloid contained in it. It was called quinine.

Europeans faced great difficulties, trying to find in the forests a cinchona (medicinal) tree. And yet, despite the active reluctance of the natives to help them, his secret was unraveled. As it turned out, the curative cortex has several species of trees belonging to the family of madder (Rubiaceae). They were united in one kind, and the great Karl Linnaeus gave him the name of cinchona. The most widely used as a medicinal product was a red-billed cinchona tree. Extract from this plant is popular in our days. It is used both in traditional and in folk medicine. But we'll talk about this a little later.

Cinchona: description

It is an evergreen tree belonging to the family of the mad. It has a straight, slender trunk, whose height reaches twenty meters. In natural conditions, this is a powerful plant with a thick globular crown. The diameter of the trunk is about a meter. The trunk covers the brownish-gray crust, while the young twigs have a reddish hue.

Leaves

Egg-shaped, broadly elliptical, and sometimes almost round, the leaves reach a length of fifty centimeters. They are painted in a bright green color, usually shiny, leathery, veined pubescent. Petioles up to five centimeters long. The young leaves that have just turned from the kidneys are painted in a bright red color, so the tree (cinchona) is clearly visible in the forest. Perhaps this feature, combined with the reddish tone of the young branches, also influenced the species name of the plant.

Flowers

Cinchona, the photo of which you see in our article, has very attractive flowers collected in umbrellas. They form wide-pyramidal paniculate, large inflorescences. Each flower has a five-toothed green pubescent calyx, which remains in the fruit. Corolla pink, pubescent, with long tube and five lobes. It has five stamens. Pestle is densely pubescent in the lower part, with a bifid stigma and a filiform column. Stamens can be of different lengths. In botany, this phenomenon is called heterostylism. This is explained by the adaptation of the plant to effective cross-pollination.

Fruit

They are an oblong two-cavity box up to three centimeters long, pointed at both ends, brownish-brown in color. In each nest develops up to twenty-five seeds. The seed is wrinkled and flat, light brown in color, surrounded by a wide fragile thin-webbed wing.

Extermination of a tree

We have already said that the native land of this plant is the tropics of South America. When people evaluated the cinchona tree (properties in particular), the giant destruction of this species began. This kind of barbarous way was harvested raw materials.

Unlike the aborigines, who were very careful about valuable plants, the Europeans unfolded the billets so actively that the tree (chicken) was on its land of destruction. The trees were cut mercilessly, they tore off the bark from them. Fortunately, already at that time there were intelligent people who began to cultivate the cinchona tree on the plantations. However, there is enough history, we will pass to more practical questions.

Cinchona: application

The main and most valuable raw material for the production of medicines is its bark. It contains 18% of alkaloids, among which:

• Quinidine;
• quinine;
• Cinchonidine;
• Cinchonine and others.

The main alkaloid is quinine, the cinnamon tree bark contains up to 7.5% of this substance. It has a special effect on the pathogens of malaria - it affects their plasmodia, which are contained in the blood of a sick person. Various drugs from the bark of the cinchona tree (the most effective - solutions of quinine salts for injections) have revolutionized the fight against the gravest disease - malaria.

Doctors of the Great Britain forced soldiers who served in India and other colonies where malaria was widespread, to drink tonic (quinine water), which, like all preparations from cinchona, had an incredibly bitter taste. To the soldiers did not refuse to take this unpleasant but necessary remedy, a little gin was added to it. This is how the custom developed in the West appeared and then took root: before dinner, drink whiskey and gin and tonic.

Use in traditional medicine

Quinine and all drinks in which he is a part effectively affect the human digestive system as a whole (like natural bitterness, they improve appetite, normalize the secretion of the gastrointestinal tract). In our country, quinine of foreign origin, manufactured as a solution (sterile) -dihydrochloride, is used for the treatment of patients with malaria. It goes on sale in ampoules for injections.

The second alkaloid - quinidine - also found application in medicine. It is a stereoisomer of quinine, which is contained in the bark in quite a large amount. In our country, quinidine sulfate powder is allowed to use. It is recommended for reception at an arrhythmia, an extrasystole, a tachycardia. The bark of the cinchona tree improves digestion, renders antipyretic, astringent, antimicrobial action. It is prescribed in the absence of appetite, asthenia, digestion, alcoholism, upper respiratory catarrh, malaria, influenza.

Outer cortex is used to treat bedsores that do not heal wounds for a long time, since it has pronounced astringent properties.

Contraindications:

• Increased individual sensitivity to quinine and quinidine;
• pregnancy.

It is not recommended to take drugs based on cinchona bark with anticoagulants, as it strengthens their effect on the body.

Use in folk medicine

Extraction of quinone is used as an antipyretic. In addition, it actively counteracts infectious diseases (influenza, for example). Next, consider the most popular recipes for preparing a drug.

Folk recipes: chicken tea

You need a teaspoon of dry raw material, which should be poured 250 ml of boiling water and insist for ten minutes. Then the composition must be filtered. Tea is used for 40 ml thirty minutes before meals. Such a remedy will increase appetite, normalize the digestive system.

With malaria, traditional healers recommend taking chin at sunrise (one serving - one packet of powder) for five days. Then it is necessary to take a break for two days, then continue the procedure for two more days. After using the drug, you need to fall asleep. This is a necessary condition. Treatment lasts ten days.

At the origins of homeopathy

It should be said that the bark of the cinchona tree, according to many experts, gave a powerful impetus to the development of homeopathy. At the very beginning of the use of this plant, Dr. Hahnemann (Germany) claimed that the medicine, taken in small doses, caused symptoms of the disease that healed in large doses. So there was a principle on which homeopathy is based - "like cures like".

Healing extract

Extract of cinchona is the most valuable source of quinine. This substance is well studied. It is known for its antiseptic, astringent and tonic properties. Quinine is actively used in the treatment of fever and malaria in tropical countries. The use in large quantities of allergies can cause nausea and headache.

Use in Homeopathy

Cinchona is a medicinal plant that has found wide application in homeopathy. It is used in low concentrations (D1 and D1) with a general weakness caused by a prolonged and severe illness, insufficient isolation of gastric juice. In such doses, the chin acts as a magnificent tonic. Higher concentrations (D4 - D6) are used for neuralgia, intermittent headaches, whooping cough and bronchitis, heart palpitations, gastrointestinal disorders, for problems with the bile excretory system, gout.

Herbal supplement

Nutramedix uses a special technology to improve the composition and extraction of cinchona bark. This ensures the production of the full spectrum extract with the highest bioactivity.

Recommendations for use

Shake well before use. Add to four milliliters of water from one to thirty drops of extract, wait one minute before using. Begin receiving the drug should be from one drop twice a day before meals (for 30 minutes), daily dosage should be increased, bringing it to thirty drops (or according to the prescriber's appointment).

The extract is produced by NUTRA MEDIX. The price of the bottle (30 ml) is 2760 rubles.

Use in cosmetology

And in cosmetology this wonderful tree (chicken) has found application. Preparations based on its bark are used in the manufacture of products that improve the growth and structure of hair. Most often, chicken extract is used for this purpose. He has an anti-seborrheic property, and therefore effectively fights dandruff. It is introduced into the composition of therapeutic agents and shampoos against dandruff. Such shampoos regulate metabolism, restore hair, making them shiny and alive. Alcohol extract favorably influences the absorption of nutrient active substances by skin cells, effectively stimulates hair growth.

Balsams and shampoos containing quinine are the source of energy for weakened and tired strands. The remedies take care of them very gently, relieve dandruff, and facilitate combing. As an example, you can bring shampoo and balm Klorane, which are available in bottles of 100 and 200 ml (price 287 and 512 rubles).

In addition, quinine is often included in various sunscreen cosmetics, as it is a natural filter that protects the skin from the damaging effects of sunlight.

In conclusion, I would like to say that the cinchona tree really has a powerful curative effect, but we must not forget that this is a natural poison, and therefore non-observance of instructions, self-cure is strictly forbidden. Treatment, doses of the drug should be prescribed only by the attending physician.