
Indigenous guide Mamani risked everything for cinchona seeds, only to be beaten to death by police.
As heard by us
A bitter bark turns into a clear, tight history of medicine, empire, and smuggling.
The episode starts with a bartender tasting a sharply bitter bark, then moves into quinine, Kew Gardens, and the imperial push to secure cinchona seeds.
Why you'd press play
Want one small piece of bark to open up a whole imperial supply chain?
Listen to the show on