Terpenes in Human Health - Natural Products Chemistry: Sources, Separations, and Structures - page 111

CH 3

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H 3 C

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FIGURE 10.13 Artemisinin, a powerful antimalarial drug obtained from the leaves of
Artemisia annua . (Photograph courtesy of Steven Foster.)

HISTORICAL NOTE

An example of a Traditional Chinese Medicine, the plant Artemisia annua has
been used by Chinese herbalists for over 2000 years and was believed to be
used in the treatment of skin diseases and malaria. One of the earliest records
dates to 200 bc, in the “Fifty-Two Prescriptions” and specifically its antima-
larial application was first described in the 4th century in The Handbook of
Prescriptions for Emergencies .
In the 1960s, a research program was set up by the Chinese army to find
an adequate treatment for malaria. By 1972, artemisinin was discovered in the
leaves of Artemisia annua . During the screening of more than 5000 Traditional
Chinese Medicines, artemisinin was found most effective and cleared malaria
parasites in patients better than all previous drugs. Due to the secret nature of
this program, however, the research work was never given the full recognition
it deserved.