Historic Hood River
Cinchona Tincture
Notes
This early 1900s glass-stoppered medicine bottle still contains Cinchona Tincture, a plant-based medicine. Cinchona trees are a type of evergreen native to the Andes of South America. Cinchona bark has medicinal properties as it contains the chemical quinine, the sole remedy for malaria in Western medicine until World War I.
The bottle is from one of Hood River’s early pharmacies – the Kresse Drug Co. Its paper label, still mostly intact, states “Kresse Drug Co. Pharmacists, Hood River Oregon,” complete with a small picture of Mt. Hood in the background. Apparently those glass stoppers work well, since there is still plenty of liquid in the bottle.
Cinchona bark extract is still available today. According to WebMD people use it for cancer, hemorrhoids, malaria, muscle cramps, varicose veins, and many other conditions, but the only proven benefit is with malaria and heart palpitations.
Tags: artifact, cinchona, drug store, Kresse, Kresse Drug Store, Madeleines Mondays, medicine
L. E.
I was just reading the other day….when Malaria hit the PNW and so many of the Native Americans died from it, it also hit Fort Vancouver. The article said they made quinine from Dogwood Root.
Maryann Roulier
Very interesting! Thanks for your research!