Commonly known as wormwood or sweet sagewort, Artemisia annua has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for fevers, inflammation, headaches, bleeding, and malaria. In vitro studies indicate that artemisinin, the active principle of A. annua, may be effective for protozoal infections including leishmaniasis ⁽⁸⁾, Chagas’ disease, and African sleeping sickness ⁽⁹⁾. Cytotoxic effects of A. annua compounds have also been evaluated in tumor cell lines ^{(1) (18) (19) (20) (25) (26)}.

Artemisinin-based combination therapies are part of the standard treatment arsenal for malaria. Systematic reviews suggest it is as effective as quinine ^(4) (5), but increased risk of relapse may limit its uses ^(6) (7). It is also unclear whether it is effective against quinine-resistant malaria strains. Other reports of artemisinin-based therapy resistance are also emerging, prompting additional drug development ⁽²⁸⁾.

Studies of artemisia for other conditions are limited. In one RCT, a low-dose artemisia formulation produced clinically relevant pain reductions in patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis ⁽³⁾. A subsesquent open-label continuation study demonstrated long-term safety with improvements maintained at 6 months ⁽¹⁰⁾. Artemisia improved symptoms in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis ⁽³⁴⁾ but did not produce any clinical benefits in patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy ⁽³⁵⁾. A few safety studies in advanced cancer patients suggest oral add-on artesunate, a semisynthetic artemisinin derivative, is well tolerated, although monitoring for ototoxicity is needed ^(13) (21). In other studies, oral or intravenous artesunate did not produce a response ^(29) (30), although modest clinical activity was observed with intravenous administration ⁽³⁰⁾. More studies are needed to determine the conditions under which compounds derived from artemisia may be safe and effective.