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Artemisia annua: A Miraculous Herb to Cure Malaria

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Artemisia annua - Pharmacology and Biotechnology

Abstract

Artemisia annua L. (family Asteraceae) is the only source of a potent antimalarial drug artemisinin that has been used for centuries in Chinese traditional therapy for the treatment of fever and malaria. Artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone containing an endoperoxide bridge, has been proved as an effective and safe alternative remedy against the highly adaptable malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which has already become resistant to many other drugs. World Health Organization (WHO) recommended artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) as the most effective one against the drug-resistant malaria. As it is highly desirable, various scientific strategies have been applied to enhance the production of artemisinin. Malaria is a vector-borne disease usually caused by Plasmodium species. It is reported that malaria threatens more than one-third of the global population, killing approximately 2 million people annually. A multidimensional approach is needed to control the malaria, and one of them is increasing artemisinin production in the plant concerned. The present review covers the information regarding A. annua cultivation, medicinal uses, artemisinin production, causes, consequences and control of malaria including strategies and policies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Physiology Section, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 202002, India

    M. Naeem, Mohd Idrees, Minu Singh, M. Masroor A. Khan &  Moinuddin

Authors
  1. M. Naeem
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  2. Mohd Idrees
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  3. Minu Singh
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  4. M. Masroor A. Khan
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  5. Moinuddin
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Correspondence to M. Naeem .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany

    Tariq Aftab

  2. US Salinity Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture Agriculture Research Service, Riverside, California, USA

    Jorge F.S. Ferreira

  3. Botany Department, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

    M. Masroor A. Khan

  4. Botany Department, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

    M. Naeem

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Naeem, M., Idrees, M., Singh, M., Khan, M.M.A., Moinuddin (2014). Artemisia annua: A Miraculous Herb to Cure Malaria. In: Aftab, T., Ferreira, J., Khan, M., Naeem, M. (eds) Artemisia annua - Pharmacology and Biotechnology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41027-7_3

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