Cinchona bark is best known as the source of the anti-malarial drug quinine and is now cultivated throughout the tropics, including regions of Africa.
Cinchona bark extract is an excellent scalp stimulant. It has an anti-hair-loss and purifying effect.
Cinchona bark has conditioning and antioxidant properties for the hair: it protects its natural colour and prevents it from being weakened by external aggressions.
For topical use, it is applied as an astringent, purifier and wound disinfectant, as well as to soothe sensitive skin.
The blood and cardiac disorders that have traditionally been treated with this medicinal herb are anemia, varicose veins and irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). In the case of arrhythmia, there is an extensive laboratory and clinical evidence to support these claims and some prescription medicines for arrhythmia are in fact derived from cinchona.
Digestive disorders that are supposedly remedied by the use of cinchona bark are dyspepsia (stomach upset), anorexia, gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhea, gallbladder disease, and even flatulence.