Dopaminergic Activity of Cinchona and Quinine
Dopamine plays an important role in mental health, healthy movement, and hearing. Quinine and Cinchona officinalis can both produce movement related issues and tinnitus during long-term treatment (these issues go away when treatment stops) via quinine’s impact on dopamine levels. Nanomolar concentrations of quinine (and thus also small doses of Cinchona bark) block membrane K+ channels that impact dopamine signaling. Higher doses of quinine / Cinchona can completely blockade K+ ion channels.
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Quinine / Cinchona can reduce tonic dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens (the pleasure center of the brain) and block dopamine autoreceptors which is something that must be kept in mind if you work with Cinchona or quinine. Dopamine autoreceptors monitor dopamine release at the neuronal level and they act as a feedback mechanism to regulate neuron firing, production, release, and re-uptake of dopamine.Click here to buy Cinchona officinalis / Quina.
Blocking the dopamine autoreceptors essentially makes it so that the brain doesn’t know when or if it has released enough dopamine. This can lead to increased neuronal firing and dopamine production, or a greater release of dopamine at a synapse than what’s necessary. Blocked autoreceptors can lead to overstimulation, increased motivation and motor activity, or even the development of temporary psychosis in susceptible individuals. Other neurotransmitters like noradrenaline or adrenaline may become imbalanced if dopamine levels are imbalanced leading to general malaise or the development of other symptoms of physical or mental illness.Click here to buy Cinchona officinalis.
Quinine / Cinchona at high doses can cause a spike in dopamine release, but generally, quinine / Cinchona administration inhibits the release of dopamine which would instead lead to poor motivation, depression or anxiety, and a feeling of being disconnected from other people or even from one’s own self. Physical symptoms of low dopamine levels caused by prolonged administration of quinine / Cinchona could also lead to Parkinsonian movement disorders, tinnitus, or tremors that resolve after Cinchona / quinine is discontinued.Green Coffee and Mucuna pruriens
L-Dopa is an amino acid that the body needs in order to produce dopamine. Dopamine, in turn, is the precursor to noradrenaline and noradrenaline is the precursor molecule for adrenaline. The herb known as Mucuna pruriens contains the nutrient amino acid (L-Dopa) that acts as a precursor to dopamine in the human body. Though Mucuna does not impact the release of dopamine during treatment with Cinchona / quinine, it does impact the production of dopamine in neurons to ensure that plenty of dopamine is available for release. Though Cinchona / quinine can disrupt the autoreceptors, Mucuna pruriens can help the body continue to produce dopamine in appropriate quantities.
Green coffee is an alternative to roasted coffee that has some morphine-like sedative and pain-killing effects without the same risk of addiction. Green coffee also stimulates the release of the body’s own natural opioid peptides for pain relief. Indeed, green coffee also contains caffeine which can help the body release dopamine, especially in combination with Mucuna pruriens supplementation.
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Resources:
• Freedman, J. E. and Weight, F. F. (1989). Quinine potently blocks single K+ channels activated by dopamine D-2 receptors in rat corpus striatum neurons. Retrieved May 2, 2026 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0014299989904755
• Islahudin, F. et al. (2014). The antimalarial drug quinine interferes with serotonin biosynthesis and action. Retrieved May 1, 2026 from
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep03618
