Quinine, named Cinchona officinalis in the scientific world, belongs to the Rubiaceae family. Quinine is extracted from the bark of the cinchona (Quina Quina) tree. It was properly named long after its medicinal attributes were discovered and were commonly referred to as Jesuits' bark, cardinal's bark, or sacred bark. The bark from the chinchona is first dried and then powdered before using it as a medicine. This bitter compound extracted from cinchona bark is largely found in South America, Central America, the Islands of the Caribbean, and in a few western coastal areas of Africa. Quinine largely became popular in the 16th century for its parasite-killing properties during the malaria outbreak.