An alternate or variant spelling of cinchona, a tropical tree whose bark is used to make quinine, a medicine that treats malaria.
Variant spelling of cinchona, named after the Countess of Chinchón (wife of a Spanish viceroy), who was allegedly cured of malaria by the tree's bark in the 17th century.
The story of cinchona reveals how a South American indigenous remedy became one of the most important medicines in European colonial history, enabling Europeans to survive in tropical regions!
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