{"id":752,"date":"2026-05-13T01:45:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T23:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artemisine.ch\/?p=752"},"modified":"2026-06-14T19:09:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T17:09:30","slug":"history-of-artemisia-annua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artemisine.ch\/en\/history-of-artemisia-annua\/","title":{"rendered":"History of\u00a0Artemisia annua"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Artemisia annua<\/span>\u00a0has a history spanning several millennia, demonstrating the interest the plant has generated from ancient times to the present day.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Artemisia annua<\/span><\/em>, also known as annual wormwood, is a medicinal plant whose use dates back several millennia in Asia. Called\u00a0<\/span>qinghao<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(\u9752\u84bf) in China, this plant has been traditionally used as a treatment for fevers and malaria in Chinese medicine. This ancient knowledge led to the discovery of its most important active compound: the artemisinin molecule. This article summarizes the history and journey of this plant in China and surrounding regions, focusing on the major discoveries concerning its numerous active compounds that followed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Traditional use and first mentions<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The first written mentions of\u00a0<\/span>Artemisia annua<\/span><\/em>\u00a0date back to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE \u2013 220 CE) in the\u00a0<\/span>Shennong Bencao Jing<\/span><\/em>, a Chinese medical treatise, which indicates its use for “eliminating heat and treating intermittent fevers.” The plant was thus primarily used to treat fevers as well as digestive disorders.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first detailed description of the plant appears in an emergency medicine manual, the\u00a0<\/span>Zhouhou Bieji Fang<\/span><\/em>\u00a0by the scholar Ge Hong (283\u2013343 CE), the author who would later become the source of the discovery of the artemisinin molecule. In this manual, the plant is recommended for treating fevers caused by malaria by macerating fresh\u00a0<\/span>Artemisia annua<\/span><\/em>\u00a0leaves in cold water to extract and drink the juice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rediscovery in the 20th century and identification of artemisinin<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

However, it was not until the 1960s that the plant experienced a resurgence of interest. Following the development of resistance to chloroquine, the main drug used to treat malaria, the Chinese government launched “Project 523” to initiate research into new treatments based on traditional Chinese medicine knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first results of this research were not long in coming, and in 1971, a team of researchers from the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, led by researcher Tu Youyou, identified\u00a0<\/span>Artemisia annua<\/span><\/em>\u00a0as a promising plant in the fight against the disease. After hundreds of trials to isolate the plant’s components, in 1972, the major active compound of the plant was isolated and identified: artemisinin. This discovery led Tu Youyou to receive the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

Discovery of other active compounds<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Subsequently, many other active compounds with medicinal properties were discovered:<\/span><\/p>\n

Flavonoids (1980\u20132000)<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

These molecules have been studied for their synergistic effects with the artemisinin molecule present in <\/span>Artemisia annua<\/span><\/em>:<\/span><\/p>\n