THE MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC ACTIVITIES OF CINCHONA: A REVIEW
MUHAMMAD ADNAN RAZA *
Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.
FAZAL UR REHMAN
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.
SAMRA ANWAR
Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.
AMBER ZAHRA
Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.
AMINA REHMAN
Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.
ERUM RASHID
Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.
MARIA KALSOOM
Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Sargodha, Pakistan.
HAROON ILAHI
Department of Agriculture, The University of Swabi, Pakistan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Cinchona belongs to the Rubiaceae family. Due to its antimalarial activity, it is very popular and becoming more and more important for hundreds of years. There are many alkaloids present in the extracts of this tree, including chichonine, quinidine, quinine and cinchonidine, that are main alkaloids, but the quantitative share varies among species to species. Compared with one of them, the combined action of more than two dozen alkaloids is more effective in terms of drug properties. Since the beginning of the 17th century, bark of Cinchona has been used to treat and cure various health problems related to malaria. Cinchona can also be used to treat various other diseases because its alkaloids have antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. This article introduces the medicinal and aromatic activities of cinchona.
Keywords: Cinchona, quinine, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, antioxidant.