How does Artemisia annua work?

Q: How does Artemisia annua work?

Artemisia annua ’s constituent artemisinin inhibits the growth of malaria parasites ( Plasmodium species) by inhibiting the calcium pump necessary for protein metabolism and mitochondrial activity in Plasmodium cells. Additionally, <a href="/glossary/in-vitro-study/" class="popover" data-tooltip="<div><h6>In Vitro Study</h6><p><em>In vitro</em> (Latin for “within the glass”) refers to studies that are performed outside of a living organism. In scientific research, this often involves performing experiments on bacterial, animal, or human cells growing in lab culture dishes.</p></div>">in vitro and animal evidence suggests that Artemisia annua extracts have antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.<a href="#ref-1" id="ref-link-1" class="ref-link popover" data-tooltip='<div><p class="mb-3">Ekiert H, et al. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33482666" target="\_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Artemisia annua - Importance in Traditional Medicine and Current State of Knowledge on the Chemistry, Biological Activity and Possible Applications.</a></p>Planta Med (2021-Jul)</div>'> [1] [2] However, these effects have yet to be validated in clinical research.

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Accepted Answer

Artemisia annua’s constituent artemisinin inhibits the growth of malaria parasites (Plasmodium species) by inhibiting the calcium pump necessary for protein metabolism and mitochondrial activity in Plasmodium cells. Additionally, in vitro and animal evidence suggests that Artemisia annua extracts have antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.^[1]^[2] However, these effects have yet to be validated in clinical research.

How does Artemisia annua work?

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