Dorothy FarrarOilsoaked
The Kalisaya tree is a species of cinchona tree from which quinine is derived. The medicinal substance has been used for many centuries by the indigenous population of Central and South America to combat fever and malaria. However, since the chemical antimalarials developed from the 1930s onwards are becoming less and less effective, the old remedy from the Kalisaya cinchona bark is regaining importance.
General overview
Kalisaya – botanically Cinchona calisaya – is also called “yellow royal bark” and belongs to the blush family (Rubiaceae). The term “china bark” is derived from the Quechua word quina (“bark”). Kalisaya usually occurs as a 5 to 15 m high tree. In unfavorable locations it only grows in the form of a shrub. The trunk and branches of the tree are covered with a cracked, about 0.5 cm thick and bitter-tasting bark, which is yellowish to light brown below.
The leaves are about 40 cm long and sit on stalks. The entire, opposite leaves are obovate and have a dark green, bluish glossy upper surface and a light green underside. The inflorescences are up to 35 cm tall and have pink hairy flower tubes and calyxes also equipped with hairs. They later develop into small, woody capsule fruits that contain seeds. Kalisaya seeds are fusiform or elliptical with a membranous wing on the edge.
Occurrence and cultivation
The Kalisaya is native to Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. The most well-known cinchona bark, the yellow cinchona bark or “king’s bark”, is obtained from the tree. Most of the cinchona bark traded worldwide comes from Bolivian Kalisaya trees. It is therefore often called Cinchona officinalis, although this is actually the name of another cinchona tree species. The Kalisaya cinchona tree mostly grows in the mountainous regions of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. In other less favorable locations, the Kalisaya occurs only as a shrub.
Application and effect
The yellow bark of the Kalisaya contains the main active ingredient quinine and the also strongly bioactive substances quinidine and cinchonidine. Alkaloids , resins, bitter substances , triterpenes and catechin tannins also occur in the bark . The dried, crushed bark (tea) and the tincture (a mixture of Kalisaya and other medicinal herbs) are used medicinally. Kalisaya bark is also added to ready-made teas.
It has anesthetic , pain- relieving , antispasmodic , digestive, labor-inducing, heart rhythm-regulating, immune-boosting and appetite -stimulating effects . Kalisaya still plays an important role in homeopathy today. As China officinalis, it is used in the low potencies D3 to D6, especially to reduce fever in colds and inflammation.
The quinine blocks the enzyme hemepolymerase produced by the malaria pathogen, which breaks down the vital hemoglobin. In addition to the heme polymerase, quinine also binds to other proteins. Therefore, an overdose of Kalisaya can also lead to sometimes serious side effects. Quinine is completely metabolized by the liver and eliminated via the urinary tract. To make a digestive tea from Kalisaya cinchona bark, the patient pours a maximum of 1 teaspoon (1.5 g) of crushed bark into 1 cup of hot water, steeps the tea for 5 to 7 minutes, and then strains it.
The medicinal tea is drunk twice a day after meals. To stimulate appetite, he consumes it 30 minutes before meals. Under no circumstances should Kalisaya products be used for long-term therapy. The maximum daily dose is 3 grams. Overdoses can cause serious side effects ( drowsiness , cardiac arrhythmias , nausea , vomiting , dizziness , tremors , restlessness , edema , hives, skin bleeding). A dose of 10 grams causes death by respiratory arrest. pregnant women, breastfeeding women, children under the age of 12, patients with tinnitus, blood clotting disorders and optic nerve diseases as well as people with a quinine hypersensitivity should never use Kalisaya remedies.
What does Kalisaya help against?
importance to health
In addition to the natural treatment of malaria tropica, Kalisaya bark is used for cardiac arrhythmias. The active ingredient quinidine binds to open sodium channels and thus inhibits potassium conductivity. This blocks the calcium channels of the heart muscles, which normalizes the disturbed heart rhythm. The antipyretic and narcotic effect of quinine is used in the treatment of colds and flu infections.
Because of its analgesic and antispasmodic properties, it efficiently helps with stomach and muscle pains and pains caused by tumors. Patients with babesiosis (a protozoan infection transmitted by a tick) are given quinine and the antibiotic clindamycin to treat their flu-like symptoms.
Quinine sulfate and magnesium are used to treat muscle cramps . The high proportion of bitter substances contained in the Kalisaya bark helps to stimulate saliva and gastric juice production and thus causes a strong feeling of hunger in patients with loss of appetite and improved digestion in people with irritable stomach syndrome through the additional activation of the gastrointestinal muscles consumed food, so that gas and bloating disappear.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.