Sweet Annie
Parts Used & Where Grown
This inconspicuous herb originated in Europe and Asia and has since spread to North America. It is now a common weed around the world. The above ground parts of the plant are used medicinally.
How It Works
Artemisinin, called qinghaosu in China where it was first discovered, is thought to account for the antimalarial activity of the plant.1,2 This compound is a sesquiterpene lactone and is believed to cause damage to the organisms that cause malaria inside the red blood cells they infect. Preliminary and double-blind trials, have shown that injections or oral use of artemisinin or similar compounds rapidly and effectively cure people with malaria.1 A human trial has also found that artemisinin reduced mortality due to malaria by 50% compared with treatment with a standard quinoline anti-malarial drug.1 Artemisinin-based drugs have not been studied for prevention of malaria. Test tube studies suggest artemisinin can kill other parasites and bacteria,5 possibly supporting the traditional notion of using it for parasitic infections of the gastrointestinal tract.