Quinine water what is it

Tonic water has since become a common mixer with liquor, the most well-known combination being gin and tonic. The U. Food and Drug Administration FDA allows tonic water to contain no more than 83 parts per million of quinine, because there can be side effects from quinine.

Today, people sometimes drink tonic water to treat nighttime leg cramps associated with circulatory or nervous system problems. However, this treatment is not recommended. Quinine is still given in in small doses to treat malaria in tropical regions. When used to treat malaria, quinine is given in a pill form. Quinine is still in tonic water, which is consumed around the world as a popular mixer with spirits, such as gin and vodka. Quinine in tonic water is diluted enough that serious side effects are unlikely.

If you do have a reaction, it may include:. However, these are more common side effects for quinine taken as a medication. Among the most serious potential side effects associated with quinine are:. Keep in mind that these reactions are primarily linked to quinine, the medication. You may also be advised against taking quinine or drinking tonic water if you:.

While a gin and tonic and vodka and tonic are staples at any bar, tonic water is becoming a more versatile beverage. Chefs may include tonic water in batter when frying seafood or in desserts that also include gin and other liquors. See a doctor instead and explore other options.

There are claims that carbonation…. At some point, enterprising British officers began mixing their quinine medicine with soda water , making the first quinine water. They then mixed this water with a big dose of sugar and gin, to further mask the taste of their medicine, and in the process created the gin and tonic.

Originally, quinine water contained a large amount of quinine for medicinal purposes. As it became less and less important, however, to ward off malaria, the amount was reduced. Most modern tonic water contains a negligible amount. Because of its physical properties, quinine becomes fluorescent when exposed to ultraviolet light. This means that the water, when placed under an ultraviolet light, will glow as though it has its own internal light. In fact, quinine is so sensitive that it will turn slightly fluorescent even when exposed to normal sunlight, because of the small amount of ultraviolet light hitting it.

In the early s, a British officer in colonial India invented the venerable gin and tonic when he realized that alcohol helped the medicine go down in the most delightful way. Today, tonic water still contains quinine, but the roles are reversed: a diluted, sweeter formulation of tonic water helps guide gin and vodka past the tonsils instead.

Among foods and drinks that are ingested solely for reasons of taste, tonic water is unique in that it was first and foremost a medicine. Since medicines tend to have side effects, is it possible that a hidden health risk is swirling around in tonic water?

The answer is yes, with some caveats. Quinine is still used to treat malaria today, although doctors typically reserve it for cases when the pathogen responsible for the disease displays resistance to newer drugs.

However, you'd have to drink almost 20 liters of today's dilute tonic water daily to achieve the daily dose typically prescribed for malaria.