Fevers, artemisinin

How do traditional remedies fare in such trials Some perform quite well and prove to be highly effective, but others are no better than placebos. One striking success is an extract of sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), which Chinese physicians have prescribed for the chills and fevers of malaria for more than two thousand years. About twenty-five years ago, Chinese chemists obtained from sweet wormwood its principal active component, a compound now called artemisinin. Clinical trials on malaria patients in Southeast Asia agreed with Chinese tradition on the value of artemisinin and also identified a few even more useful drugs prepared from it in the laboratory. These compounds are effective against the deadliest form of malaria and are now frequently the therapies of choice for treating it. 

Artemisia species have been used for many centuries to treat fevers and malaria, specifically cerebral malaria. They produce the sesquiter-penoid endoperoxide artemisinin (1), which accumulates in leaves and... 

Chloroquine is the drug of choice in the treatment of nonfalciparum and sensitive falciparum malaria. It rapidly terminates fever (in 24-48 hours) and clears parasitemia (in 48-72 hours) caused by sensitive parasites. It is still used to treat falciparum malaria in some areas with widespread resistance, in particular much of Africa, owing to its safety, low cost, antipyretic properties, and partial activity, but continued use of chloroquine for this purpose is discouraged, especially in nonimmune individuals. Chloroquine has been replaced by other drugs, principally artemisinin-based combination therapies, as the standard therapy to treat falciparum malaria in most endemic countries. Chloroquine does not eliminate dormant liver forms of P vivax and P ovale, and for that reason primaquine must be added for the radical cure of these species. 

N.A. Abrotamine, artemisinin, vitamin A." Treat fever, headaches, dizziness, and tightchested sensation. 

Artemisinin 1, a naturally occurring sesquiterpene peroxy-lactone, has been isolated in up to 0.25% yield from the dry leaves of Artemisia annua L.1 Interest in artemisinin is based on its phytomedicinal properties. In 168 b.c. China, as described in a Treatment of 52 Sicknesses, the leaves of A. annua (Qinghao) were used for the treatment of chills and fever.2 It was not until 1972 that the active antimalarial agent qinghaosu was isolated in pure form. This allowed for the unequivocal elucidation of its structure through the use of x-ray crystallography. This complex tetracyclic peroxide is now referred to as artemisinin in various sources such as Chemical Abstracts or the Merck Index. 

Qinghao (Sweet Wormwood) is the dried aerial parts of the herb Artemisia annua L. (Asteraceae family), which has been used in China for centuries to treat fever and malaria. Artemisinin (Nl) (Qing Hao Su) (128), the active principle, directly kills Plasmodium falciparum (malaria parasites) with little toxicity to animals and humans. Thus, it is a clinically effective, safe, and rapid antimalarial agent (129, 130). The novel endo-peroxide link is essential for the antimalarial activity. 

Artemisia annua (sweet wormwood, qing hao) has been used in Chinese medicine for well over 1000 years. The earliest recommendation is for the treatment of hemorrhoids, but there is a written record of use in fevers dated 340 A.D. Modem development dates from the isolation of a highly active antimalarial, artemisinin (qing-haosu), in 1972, and has been carried out almost entirely in China. Much of the original 1 iterature is therefore in Chinese, but there is an excellent review on qinghaosu by Trigg (196) and an account of the uses of A annua (197). This section is largely a summary of these two articles. 

Drug fever has been reported in healthy subjects taking artemether, artesunate, and artemisinin (SEDA-21, 294). 

Artemisinin, the principal bioactive antimalarial compound and its derivatives from Artemisia annua, a Traditional Chinese Medicinal plant used against fevers and malaria, have yielded a potent new class of antimalarials. The anti-malarials derived from A. annua are considered an integral part of the solution where malaria has become resistant to other medicines and even in areas where resistance is not yet a problem (S). Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have been recommended in the countries where falciparam malaria - the most resistant form of the disease- is endemic (9). While ACTs for all would be the ideal strategy, it is most impractical for poor and remote communities, politically unstable areas, and people who dislike the use of modem medicine (10). 

Malaria remains a parasitic scourge that is still extending in incidenoe. In 1972, the aotive principle from Artemisia annua, a plant used for centuries in Chinese traditional medioine to treat fevers and malaria, was established as a novel antimalarial ohemotype. This oompound, artemisinin ( qinghaosu in Chinese), is a sesquiterpene lactone with an endoperoxide group that is essential for activity, and it reacts with the iron in heme in the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum (Fig. 1.3). Beoause this compound is poorly soluble in water, a number... 

Malaria and fever have been treated for over two mileniums with Artemisia annua, called green herb by Chinise people. Besides artemisinin. 

Fever and malaria can induce a psychosis, but in this case, fever was an unlikely cause, as fever-induced psychosis is usually polymorphic and associated with some alteration of consciousness and orientation, which were absent there was also no past history of an altered mental state after febrile illnesses. Falciparum malaria leading to psychiatric sequelae usually presents with cerebral malaria, which has well-defined neurological signs. Antimalarial drugs such as chloroquine, mefloquine, and quinine can cause psychoses, and given substantial evidence of neurotoxicity after exposure to artemisinin compounds. 

Artemisinin ( qinghaosu ) (12), a sesquiterpene lactone possessing animusual endoperoxide bridge, is a compormd discovered in the People s Republic of China flora Artemisia annua, which has long been used as a traditional medicinal plant for the treatment of fever. As a naturally occurring antimalarial, artemisinin may be employed as an option for the treatment of chloroquine-resistant malaria in China and some... 

Yes, it is still used to treat severe falciparum malaria. The big development recently has been a new batch of Chinese drugs. Chinese herb extracts (in particular, qinghao) have long been used to treat fevers, and it was found that an extract from this called Artemisinin (qinghaosu) works against chloroquine-resistant... 

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