One of the four major alkaloid compounds found in cinchona bark, possessing antimalarial and fever-reducing properties similar to quinine.
From cinchona + -ine (alkaloid suffix indicating nitrogen-containing compounds), named when chemists discovered this compound was one of several active alkaloids in cinchona bark rather than a single 'magical' substance. First isolated in the 19th century.
The discovery of cinchonine was a major surprise—people thought cinchona bark had one active ingredient (quinine) that cured malaria, but researchers found four main alkaloids working together, which explains why the whole bark was more effective than pure quinine alone.
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