Message #161162

[Bianca]

Non-medical uses of quinine
 


Quinine is a flavor component of tonic water and bitter lemon. According to tradition, the bitter taste of anti-malarial quinine tonic led British colonials in India to mix it with gin, thus creating the gin and tonic cocktail, which is still popular today in many parts of the world, especially the U.K., United States, southern Canada, parts of Australia and Lhasa, Tibet.

Bark of Remijia contains 0.5 - 2 % of quinine. The bark is cheaper than bark of Cinchona and as it has an intense taste, it is used for making tonic water.

In some areas, non-medical use of quinine is regulated. For example, in the United States and in Germany, quinine is limited to between 83-85 parts per million.

In France, quinine is an ingredient of an apéritif known as Quinquina or "Cap Corse".

Because of its relatively constant and well-known fluorescence quantum yield, quinine is also used in photochemistry as a common fluorescence standard.

Quinine (and quinidine) are used as the chiral moiety for the ligands used in Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation.

Quinine is sometimes added to ****, heroin and others to "cut" the product and increase profits. Heroin dealers mostly those in Baltimore, Maryland have long known the benefit of mixing Quinine and heroin not only to increase profits but due to its synergistic effect's of intensifying the rush accompanied with injecting it. Heroin cut with quinine is referred to as Scramble; it has become attractive over the last decade or so among dealers and junkies alike as a cheaper alternative to raw heroin.

In Canada, quinine is an ingredient in the carbonated chinotto beverage called Brio.

In the United Kingdom, Scottish company A.G. Barr's uses quinine as an ingredient in the carbonated and caffeinated beverage Irn-Bru.

In the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Egypt, quinine is an ingredient in Schweppes and other Indian tonic waters, at a concentration of 0.4 mg/l.

In Uruguay and Argentina, quinine is an ingredient of a Pepsico Inc. Tonic water named Paso de los Toros.

In South Africa, quinine is an ingredient of a Clifton Instant Drink named Chikree produced by Tiger Food Brands.

As a treatment for Cryptocaryon irritans (commonly referred to as white spot, crypto or marine ich) infection of marine aquarium fish.



RETRIEVED FROM:

WIKIPEDIA.ORG