Sodium is the primary cation (positive ion) in extracellular fluids in animals and humans. Sodium ions are necessary for regulation of blood and body fluids, transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity, and certain metabolic functions. Physiologically, it exists as an ion in the body. Sodium is needed by animals, which maintain high concentrations in their blood and extracellular fluids, but the ion is not needed by plants. The human requirement for sodium in the diet is less than 500 mg per day, which is typically less than a tenth as much as many diets "seasoned to taste. " Most people consume far more sodium than is physiologically needed. For certain people with salt-sensitive blood pressure, this extra intake may cause a negative effect on health.

Epiquinidine is an alkaloid derived from the bark of the cinchona tree. The most abundant constituents of the Cinchona barks are two pairs of erythro diastereoisomers: quinineand quinidine, which are active antimalarials. Their threo epimers, epiquinine and epiquinidine, are practically inactive. Compared to quinine and quinidine, the 9-epimers had significantly reduced hemozoin inhibition efficiency and did not affect pH-dependent aggregation of ferriprotoporphyrin IX (FPIX) heme. Magnetic susceptibility measurements showed that the 9-epimers perturb FPIX monomer-dimer equilibrium in favor of monomer, and UV-visible (VIS) titrations showed that Epiquinine and Epiquinidine bind monomer with similar affinity relative to quinine and quinidine. However, unique ring proton shifts in the presence of zinc(II) protoporphyrin IX (ZnPIX) indicate that binding of the 9-epimers to monomeric heme is via a distinct geometry.

Epiquinine is a stereoisomer of quinine, antimalarial alkoloid from the bark of a cinchona tree. Quinine was over 100 times more active than epiquinine against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum and over 10 times more active against chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum. Intra-erythrocytically active anti-malarial quinine acts by binding to haematin, blocking beta-haematin formation (while the anti-malarially inactive epiquinine had no effect on the reaction, however as quinine epiquinine was reported to bind ferriprotoporphyrin IX) and leaving toxic haematin in the parasite food vacuoles. Distinguishing features of the weakly active epiquinine include a higher dipole moment, a different direction of the electric field, a greater intrinsic nucleophilicity, lower acidity of the hydroxyl proton, a lesser electron affinity of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, and a higher proton affinity than the active cinchona alkaloids. Epiquinine has little inhibitory effect toward peroxidative destruction of haem.

Ammonium dihydrogen arsenate is an inorganic compound that has been considered a potential electro-optic material and has been explored by a number of investigators for modulation purposes. Ammonium arsenate is a cancerogenic substance.

Hypophosphite is a strong reducing agent, that has been used in the 1850s as a remedy for pulmonary tuberculosis. Hypophosphites were used extensively in pharmaceutical preparations, elixirs, and tonics. Hypophosphite does not appear to have adverse toxicological effects, and the sodium, calcium, and potassium salts are considered GRAS. Hypophosphite use in foods may not be limited to one function. Hypophosphites have been used in foods as antioxidants, stabilizers, meat pickling accelerator, and vegetable protein flow inducer.

Ammonium dihydrogen arsenate is an inorganic compound that has been considered a potential electro-optic material and has been explored by a number of investigators for modulation purposes. Ammonium arsenate is a cancerogenic substance.

QUININE PHOSPHATE, a salt of quinine, was formerly used for the treatment of malaria.

Hydroquinine (Inhibin®) has been approved for marketing in the Netherlands for the treatment of nocturnal cramps when treatment with drugs is considered necessary. It is available in the Netherlands since March 1990 as an over-the-counter drug with a dose of 200 mg with the evening meal and a further 100 mg at bedtime for 14 days. Hydroquinine also has antimalarial and demelanizing activity. It might be used to lightens light brown color patches on skin, age spots, skin discolorations associated with pregnancy, skin trauma or taking birth control pills. Hydroquinine is used in skin lightening creams and lotions because it is an effective bleaching agent, slowing the production of the tyrosinase enzyme and reducing the amount of melanin formed.