The Bark of Empire

Quiet Canines Podcast · Sep 30, 2026 · 3m

Deep in the Andean rainforest, indigenous peoples discovered a remedy that later became a major tool of European imperialism. The Quechua, Cañari, and Chimú peoples have lived in parts of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador for millennia. At high altitudes in the Andes Mountains grows the tall cinchona tree. Early indigenous botanists discovered that grinding its bark into a powder and mixing it with water stopped shivering from cold or fever.

Meanwhile, malaria plagued people across the world for centuries. It ravaged empires and killed millions. Medieval remedies reflected the false belief that it…