Artemisinin

Artemisia annua · Sweet Wormwood · Qinghaosu · Artemisinin

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Osteoarthritis pain¹ Rheumatoid arthritis adjunct² Non-alcoholic liver dysfunction³ Malaria combination therapy⁴	Pregnancy or nursing⁵ Under 18 years⁵

Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone from sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), used in Chinese herbal practice for malarial fevers⁶. Its antimalarial action involves an endoperoxide bridge, though the exact mechanism remains uncertain⁷. Artemisia annua extracts have been tested for osteoarthritis pain, as an adjunct in rheumatoid arthritis, and in non-alcoholic liver dysfunction. Artemisinin derivatives themselves anchor combination therapy for malaria.

The extract trials are small. A pilot in hip and knee osteoarthritis improved pain at the lower of two extract doses only¹. Added to methotrexate and leflunomide in active rheumatoid arthritis, the extract was associated with better joint and inflammatory outcomes than the medications alone². In a 2025 study of patient-derived lung cancer tissue cultures, artemisinin and its derivatives showed beneficial effects, with squamous tumors more sensitive than adenocarcinoma. Only one human trial, using intravenous artesunate with chemotherapy, has been reported⁸. Products listing artemisinin number 355 in the National Institutes of Health label database, mostly capsules with a few liquids; see Form comparison.

LiverTox rates artemisinin a possible rare cause of clinically apparent liver injury, with most reports tied to herbal supplements and extended use⁶. Some United States product labels (11 of 30) say a qualified practitioner oversees liver enzymes and hemoglobin during use⁵.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

70 sources, 55 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources