Botanical atlas
Bitter Bark
Alstonia constricta
In the dry inland scrubs of Queensland and New South Wales, bitter bark earned its keep as the bushman's answer to fever when true quinine bark was an ocean away. Colonial settlers and bush doctors stripped its intensely bitter bark and brewed it much as they would Cinchona, leaning on it through bouts of ague and malarial-like fevers. It was regarded highly enough to be written into the British Pharmaceutical Codex as Alstonia Bark, prized as a tonic for a weak, sluggish digestion as much as for breaking a fever. Aboriginal Australians in its native range knew the tree long before European settlement and had their own uses for its intensely bitter inner bark.
In tradition.
In the dry inland scrubs of Queensland and New South Wales, bitter bark earned its keep as the bushman's answer to fever when true quinine bark was an ocean away. Colonial settlers and bush doctors stripped its intensely bitter bark and brewed it much as they would Cinchona, leaning on it through bouts of ague and malarial-like fevers. It was regarded highly enough to be written into the British Pharmaceutical Codex as Alstonia Bark, prized as a tonic for a weak, sluggish digestion as much as for breaking a fever. Aboriginal Australians in its native range knew the tree long before European settlement and had their own uses for its intensely bitter inner bark.
The tradition we can stand behind has no household remedy for this plant, so we list none. If that changes as the library grows, this page will grow with it.
Safety.
The bark contains potent alkaloids that affect heart rate and blood pressure and can be dangerous for anyone with heart conditions or on cardiovascular or psychiatric medication. This is not a plant for home preparation or self-dosing.
Our sister app HerbLens identifies bitter bark from a photo and keeps its full botanical portrait: growing guide, harvest notes, and look-alike warnings.
View on HerbLensAsk HerbSense how bitter bark is traditionally used and what to know before trying anything at home.
Ask about Bitter BarkHerbSense shares traditional herbal knowledge for education, not diagnosis or treatment. Herbs can interact with medicines and conditions. Speak with your doctor before acting on anything here, and seek care promptly for anything severe, sudden, or worsening.