Artemisinin

Artemisinin, also known as Ching-hao-su is a herbal medicine extracted from the wormwood plant, also known as Artemisia annua. Asians have been using the leaf for centuries to treat simple ailments such as colds and parasitic infections, but it has recently become big business for its effect on malaria.

Mugwort is essentially a Chinese herb used for over a thousand years to treat a wide variety of conditions, including malaria. It was also used to treat wounds and skin diseases, and was recorded as 200 BC as a component of Chinese prescriptions for specific diseases.

Although the origins of sagebrush are in Asia However, it is now cultivated in all temperate regions of the world, and reached its peak in midsummer. Although best known today for its use in the treatment of malaria, its medical uses include the treatment of bronchitis, fever and a general feeling of malaise. It is now grown mainly for the supplement industry and as a non-prescriptive natural remedy for malaria. It is a common plant and predilection for Chinese herbalists and sold both in the form of herbs and that artemisinin extracted.

Although there is considerable variation in artemisinin content of Artemisia depending on where it is grown, and under different agricultural conditions, it is the main active ingredient. Chemically, it is a sesquiterpene lactone containing an endoperoxide bridge that will be discussed later.

To achieve the optimum performance of the active artemisinin, the plant should be grown in the right place for culture and fed with fertilizers correct, the appropriate strain of the plant should be chosen and the method of extraction active chemicals is also essential. These are the secrets that have been used for centuries by Chinese herbalists who are masters of their craft and are now known to the west and are applied to the scientific production of the extract.

There are advantages of artemisinin other than its effect on malaria, but is best known for its uses, so let's take a look at this first. The herb has been used for a long period to treat parasitic infections, mostly flukes and worms that place a strain on the body not only to feed these creatures effects, but also to excrete their waste and by-products . Malaria is caused by this parasite, one of four types, in fact, and artemisinin appears to be equally effective on them.

The chemical contains what is known as an endoperoxide bridge that reacts with the iron. The product of this reaction is a free radical, normally not welcome in the body. However, malaria parasites contain high levels of iron, and artemisinin reacts with the iron, forming free radicals which then kill the parasite. Free radicals that we take supplements to destroy, in fact work for us in the destruction of the parasite that causes malaria. There is a glimmer of hope in every cloud!

The reason why the medical world is so excited by this material is that malaria is the second to tuberculosis in its impact on world health. The problem is that parasites that cause have become largely resistant to normal treatments. They are not, however, resistant to chemicals contained by the endoperoxide artemisinin. It is now the major hope of the world leaders in the fight to stop the relentless progression of the number of deaths due to malaria.

Now for other applications. Another important use of the chemical is in the fight against cancer. These cancers involving cells rich in iron can be disturbed by the artemisinin by the same mechanism that kills the bacteria of malaria. It is not only pests that are susceptible to the action of free radicals, but also human cells, and if they can be destroyed selectively, it is a step towards the cure to cancer. Such treatment does not exist yet, but mechanical.