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This book summarises several aspects of current research into Artemisia annua, the source of a compound that has proved very effective in treating certain types of malaria. Although the various contributions are quite wide ranging, the focus tends to be on artemisinin production and the improvements in yield that are possible using modern biotechnology.

Including the editors, there are 32 named contributors to this 340-page volume, grouped into 14 chapters plus preface and index. Each chapter has a separate reference section. Curiously, though mention is made several times of the Nobel prize-winning author of the original research which highlighted the therapeutic use of Artemisia compounds, I was unable to find a single citation of a paper by Tu Youyou.

Parts of the book are somewhat repetitive (e.g. Tables 8.1 and 10.3), and though lightly edited in this respect, it has been carefully proof-read and grammar checked. An important aspect of this work is the need to find ways of making treatments available at very low cost; the difficulties of extracting large quantities of the active compounds from limited supplies of the raw material are stressed. Clearly there is a need for continued vigilance in preventing insect bites, as this can be achieved at much lower cost per person than post-hoc treatment.

Artemisia annua is only one of a large number of plants used in Chinese traditional medicine that deserve to be researched in detail. This book will strengthen the case for such work.