The complexity of medicinal plants: the traditional Artemisia annua formulation, current status and future perspectives.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Artemisia annua has a long tradition of use for the treatment of intermittent fevers which we now relate to malarial infections. The active principle artemisinin has been isolated from Artemisia annua and today forms the backbone of the global fight against malaria. The traditionally prepared Artemisia annua formulation is however still being used on a global scale for the treatment of malaria, and it is claimed that its action is superior to the single purified drug.