Tonic Water Used To Treat Malaria? 8 Facts About This Soft Drink

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Tonic water actually glows blue under UV light due to its quinine content - early British colonists used this to detect counterfeit notes.

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1. Glows blue

The British East India Company created tonic water in the 1800s to make anti-malarial quinine more palatable for troops.

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2. British East India Company

Modern tonic water contains 83% less quinine than its medicinal ancestor - you'd need to drink 12 litres to get a therapeutic dose.

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3. 83% less quinine

During WWII, Japanese occupation of Java caused a global tonic shortage as they controlled 90% of the world's quinine supply.

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4. Global tonic shortage

Before becoming a mixer, tonic water was considered a proper medicine and sold in pharmacies across Britain.

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5. Proper medicine

The gin and tonic was accidentally invented when British officers in India added gin to improve the bitter taste of their daily tonic.

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6. Gin and tonic

In Peru, where quinine was discovered, the bark containing it was called 'cinchona' or 'fever tree' - hence the posh tonic brand name.

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7. 'Fever tree'

Until 2010, British pilots in the RAF were required to drink tonic water in tropical regions as an anti-malarial precaution.

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8. Anti-malarial precaution

Which of these did you find most fun?

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