QUESTION What are some traditional treatments for malaria? ANSWER Many different cultures have had their own traditional ways of treating malaria. Perhaps the two best known come from the native tribes in the Western Amazon basin and the ancient Chinese. Tribes in the Amazon used the bark of a shrub called Cinchona to treat fevers and shivering; Spanish priests in this region observed … [Read more...]
Who Discovered that Cinchona Bark is Medicine (Quinine)?
Question: Who discovered the cinchona bark as medicine? Answer: Tribes in the Amazon used the bark of a shrub called Cinchona to treat fevers and shivering; Spanish priests in this region observed traditional Quechua healers using this bark and started using it themselves to treat the fevers associated with malaria. Many centuries later, the active ingredient from this bark was isolated … [Read more...]
Traditional Methods for Malaria Treatment and Prevention
QUESTION What are the traditional methods on treating and preventing malaria? ANSWER Many different cultures have had their own traditional ways of treating malaria. Perhaps the two best known come from the native tribes in the Western Amazon basin and the ancient Chinese. Tribes in the Amazon used the bark of a shrub called Cinchona to treat fevers and shivering; Spanish priests in … [Read more...]
Malaria Beliefs
QUESTION How do beliefs and attitude affect the spread, treatment and prevention of malaria? ANSWER Accurate information and knowledge about how malaria is transmitted, diagnosed and treated is crucial to controlling the disease, for the general public living in malarial areas, travelers to these areas and health professionals. For example, many travelers are unaware that their … [Read more...]