Botanical Name - Artemisia annua Category - Medicinal Form - Dry Part Used - Leaves General Information - Artemisia annua belongs to the plant family of Asteraceae and is an annual short-day plant. Its stem is erect brownish or violet brown. The plant itself is hairless and naturally grows from 30 to 100 cm tall, although in cultivation it is possible for plants to reach a height of 200 cm. The leaves of A. annua have a length of 3 - 5 cm and are divided by deep cuts into two or three small leaflets. The intensive aromatic scent of the leaves is characteristic.[8] The artemisinin content in dried leaves is in between 0% and 1.5%.[9] New hybrids of Artemisia annua developed in Switzerland can reach a leaf artemisinin content of up to 2%.[10] The small flowers have a diameter of 2-2.5 mm and are arranged in loose panicles. Their color is green-yellowish. The seeds are brown achenes with a diameter of only 0.6-0.8 mm. Phytochemicals- "The major active constituent of Artemisia annua, Artemisia apiacea, and Artemisia lancea is artemisinin. Derivatives of this compound include arteether, artemether, artemotil, artenimol, artesunate, and dihydroartemisinin, which, along with artemisin, are currently being used to treat drug-resistant and non-drug resistant malaria. The aerial parts of Artemisia annua contain 0.01-0.8 % of artemisinin per dry weight. Other constituents of Artemisia annua include deoxyartemisinin, artemisinic acid, arteannuin-B, stigmasterol, friedelin, friedelan-3 beta-ol, artemetin, and quercetagetin 3',4'-tetramethyl ether. The essential oil of Artemisia annua aerial parts contains 44% camphor, 16% germacrene D, 11% trans-pinocarveol, 9% beta-selinene, 9% beta-caryophyllene, and 3% artemisia ketone."
