Why on earth do they put quinine in tonic water in the first place? Is that what gives it its distinctive taste, or something? Is it possible to poison yourself by accident with it?
by 
Michie
ANSWERS: 3
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Tonic water, by definition, contains quinine. Quinine IS the "tonic" that gave the water its name. It was originally created to be drunk in tropical regions as a defense against malaria. Most tonic water produced these days has minuscule amounts of quinine compared to the original preparations. United States law, for example, limits the quinine content to 83 parts per million. It's unlikely that anyone without an extreme quinine sensitivity is going to be accidentally poisoned by it.
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Is it true that 1/6 individuals experience quinine gustatorially differently?
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I am actually allergic to the quinine in Tonic Water. Before the last few weeks, I had only had gin and tonics or vodka tonics 2 or 3 times. Then recently, I started drinking them every weekend. For the past four weekends in a row I have had 3-4 vodka tonics on friday night. At about 2 am I wake up with hives on my chest/back/stomach and a few on the inside of my legs. I go into a cold sweat and my heart races for up to 12 hours. I also became emotional and unlike my self. The hives go away within about 24 hours with the help of benadryl and some anti-itch cream. I had no idea you could be allergic to quinine, but I looked it up and the symptoms sound like just what I have been experiencing. There is nothing else that I have consistently eaten/drank or applied to my body in any way those past fridays...I believe if your allergy is sever enough you can "poison" your body with quinine if you take enough. Im not a doctor, so this s just my opinion. I intend to get tested for quinine allergy soon. Hope that helps!
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