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This page was completely revamped, including rewriting the overview, AKA, and dosage section, as well as adding FAQs. Additionally, we changed the name of this page from "Artemisia Extract" to "Artemisia Annua".
Artemisia annua
•Last Updated: April 9, 2024
Artemisia annua is an herb native to Asia and is known for the compound artemisinin, which is used in the formulation of malaria treatments. Note that this supplement alone should not be used to treat malaria.
Artemisia annua is most often used for
Last Updated:April 9, 2024
Artemisia annua gained popularity due to its antimalarial constituent artemisinin, which was discovered by the scientist Youyou Tu, who received a Nobel Prize for it in 2015. This herb has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine.
Its genus is named after Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt and fertility, as it is one of the most widely distributed genera throughout the world. Artemisia annua and Artemisia absinthium are the most well-known species within this genus.[2]
Limited research suggests that Artemisia annua might improve symptoms of osteoarthritis[6] and rheumatoid arthritis.[9]
Artemisia annua extracts are also used for hair care and in skin care as an emollient, humectant and antibacterial agent.[10]
Extracts of Artemisia annua pollen have been used as immunotherapy to reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis during pollen season.[8]
In traditional Chinese medicine, Artemisia annua has been used for jaundice, for dysentery, for wounds and hemorrhoids, and to reduce fever.[10] However, there’s no clinical research to support these uses.
Reported side effects from Artemisia annua include stomach pain, a slowed heart rate (bradycardia), diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, and flu-like symptoms. However, since many of these adverse effects were reported in clinical studies for malaria, it's not clear whether these were symptoms of malaria or side effects caused by the herb.[11][10] Additionally, Artemisia annua has allergenic pollen which has been reported to cause dermatitis (rash) and other allergy symptoms in susceptible individuals.[10]
There have been rare reports of liver toxicity with Artemisia annua. In one case report, 1.25 grams of Artemisia annua powder had been consumed daily for 4 weeks.[12] In another case report, 600 mg of artemisinin (extracted from Artemisia annua) had been consumed daily for 10 days.[13] A case series reported liver toxicity in 29 adults who had taken Artemisia annua supercritical carbon dioxide extract in grapeseed oil,[14] although it was criticized for having poor reporting methods and confounded causality testing.[15]
Artemisia annua should not be used during pregnancy, as animal research shows that it has toxic effects on the embryo/fetus.[1]
Artemisia annua’s constituent artemisinin inhibits the growth of malaria parasites (Plasmodium species) by inhibiting the calcium pump necessary for protein metabolism and mitochondrial activity in Plasmodium cells. Additionally, in vitro and animal evidence suggests that Artemisia annua extracts have antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.[10][2] However, these effects have yet to be validated in clinical research.
Note that Artemisia annua is also known as:
- Annual mugwort
- Annual wormwood
- Huang hua hao
- Quing hao
- Sweet Annie
- Sweet sagewort
- Sweet wormwood
Artemisia annua should not be confused with:
- Other Artemisia species
In clinical research 150–300 mg of Artemisia annua extract twice daily has been used for up to 9 months for symptoms of arthritis.[6][7] In another clinical study, sublingual drops of glycerinated pollen extracts of Artemisia annua at a dosage of 2400 biological units daily for up to 32 weeks reduced symptoms of allergic rhinitis.[8] Historically, Artemisia annua leaves have been consumed as a vegetable in Western Asia.[1]
Research FeedRead all studies
- ^Trendafilova A, Moujir LM, Sousa PMC, Seca AMLResearch Advances on Health Effects of Edible Species and Some Sesquiterpene Lactones Constituents.Foods.(2020-Dec-30)
- ^Sharifi-Rad J, Herrera-Bravo J, Semwal P, Painuli S, Badoni H, Ezzat SM, Farid MM, Merghany RM, Aborehab NM, Salem MA, Sen S, Acharya K, Lapava N, Martorell M, Tynybekov B, Calina D, Cho WCArtemisia spp.: An Update on Its Chemical Composition, Pharmacological and Toxicological Profiles.Oxid Med Cell Longev.(2022)
- ^World Health Organization, Global Malaria ProgramThe use of non-pharmaceutical forms of *Artemisia*(2019)
- ^Mueller MS, Runyambo N, Wagner I, Borrmann S, Dietz K, Heide LRandomized controlled trial of a traditional preparation of Artemisia annua L. (Annual Wormwood) in the treatment of malaria.Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg.(2004-May)
- ^Blanke CH, Naisabha GB, Balema MB, Mbaruku GM, Heide L, Müller MSHerba Artemisiae annuae tea preparation compared to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in adults: a randomized double-blind clinical trial.Trop Doct.(2008-Apr)
- ^Stebbings S, Beattie E, McNamara D, Hunt SA pilot randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of an extract of Artemisia annua administered over 12 weeks, for managing pain, stiffness, and functional limitation associated with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee.Clin Rheumatol.(2016-Jul)
- ^Hunt S, Stebbings S, McNamara DAn open-label six-month extension study to investigate the safety and efficacy of an extract of Artemisia annua for managing pain, stiffness and functional limitation associated with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee.N Z Med J.(2016-Oct-28)
- ^Lou H, Wang X, Wei Q, Zhao C, Xing Z, Zhang Q, Meng J, Zhang S, Zhou H, Ma R, Zhang H, Liu H, Xue W, Wang C, Zhang LArtemisia Annua sublingual immunotherapy for seasonal allergic rhinitis: A multicenter, randomized trial.World Allergy Organ J.(2020 Sep)
- ^Yang M, Guo MY, Luo Y, Yun MD, Yan J, Liu T, Xiao CHEffect of Artemisia annua extract on treating active rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized controlled trial.Chin J Integr Med.(2017-Jul)
- ^Ekiert H, Świątkowska J, Klin P, Rzepiela A, Szopa AArtemisia annua - Importance in Traditional Medicine and Current State of Knowledge on the Chemistry, Biological Activity and Possible Applications.Planta Med.(2021-Jul)
- ^Mueller MS, Karhagomba IB, Hirt HM, Wemakor EThe potential of Artemisia annua L. as a locally produced remedy for malaria in the tropics: agricultural, chemical and clinical aspects.J Ethnopharmacol.(2000-Dec)
- ^Ruperti-Repilado FJ, Haefliger S, Rehm S, Zweier M, Rentsch KM, Blum J, Jetter A, Heim M, Leuppi-Taegtmeyer A, Terracciano L, Bernsmeier CDanger of Herbal Tea: A Case of Acute Cholestatic Hepatitis Due to Tea.Front Med (Lausanne).(2019)
- ^Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Hepatitis temporally associated with an herbal supplement containing artemisinin - Washington, 2008.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.(2009 Aug 14)
- ^Savage RL, Hill GR, Barnes J, Kenyon SH, Tatley MVSuspected Hepatotoxicity With a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extract of in Grapeseed Oil Used in New Zealand.Front Pharmacol.(2019)
- ^Teschke R, Eickhoff A, Schulze J, Danan GHerb-induced liver injury (HILI) with 12,068 worldwide cases published with causality assessments by Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM): an overview.Transl Gastroenterol Hepatol.(2021)
- ^WHO guidelines for malaria.(2021 Feb 16)