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Observations in prescriptions of the monasteries’ apothecaries of São Bento from Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro) and Olinda (Pernambuco) dating from the nineteenth century, prescribed quina (Cinchona spp., Rubiaceae) and ipeca (Carapichea ipecacuanha [Brot.] L. Andersson, Rubiaceae) for antidiarrheal/febrifuge and emetic/expectorant uses. In addition to these observations, pharmacological and anthropological literature indicate a great importance of using these plants for treating human diseases since ancient times. From this information, the present work conducts a literature review to investigate the history of discovery and use of these species, recovering information about past and current uses of quina and ipeca, seeking also to record possible changes in usage over time.