Botanical Antiparasitic

Artemisia annua

Artemisia annua

Evidence TierCWADA NOT PROHIBITED

tuneTypical Dose

Not for wellness

watchEffect Window

Clinical treatment windows only

check_circleCompliance

WADA NOT PROHIBITED

Overview

Clinical Summary

Artemisia annua contains artemisinin-related compounds and is not a substitute for prescription antimalarial therapy.

Trials in respiratory infections show mixed results, with some reporting shorter symptom duration or fewer sick days when taken early. Preparations can differ in polysaccharides and phenolics, which may influence immune signaling. Minority work explores antiviral activity and improved vaccine responses, often preclinical. Allergy risk and interactions with immunosuppressants are possible considerations.

Antimalarial pharmacologic pathway with artemisinin compounds. Not supported as a nootropic/supplement performance agent.

Outcomes

What This Is Expected To Influence

Primary Outcomes

  • High confidence in malaria-related treatment context
  • No validated nootropic/performance outcome

Secondary Outcomes

  • Potential immunomodulation (context-specific)
  • Safety risk in non-medical self-use

Safety

Contraindications and Interactions

Contraindications

  • Pregnancy
  • Severe hepatic disease
  • Polypharmacy

Side effects

  • GI distress
  • Drug interaction symptoms
  • Neurologic adverse reactions

Interactions

  • Hepatic metabolic drug interactions
  • Antimalarial co-medication

Avoid if

  • Pregnant or nursing
  • Self-treatment intent
  • Unsupervised chronic use

Evidence

Study-level References

artemisia-annua-SRC-001Controlled treatment trials and meta-analyses.

Artemisinin malaria treatment literature and clinical therapeutic synthesis.

Population: Malaria-infected populations under clinical supervision.

Dose protocol: Prescribed artemisinin regimens.

Key findings: Robust for intended infectious outcomes, not nootropic outcomes.

Notes: Strong evidence is context-specific.

Paper content

Robust for intended infectious outcomes, not nootropic outcomes.

artemisia-annua-SRC-002Safety and pharmacovigilance review.

Safety and interaction literature for non-prescribed or variable artemisia preparations.

Population: Product use variation and case context.

Dose protocol: Non-standardized supplement-like use.

Key findings: Limited or poor support outside therapeutic indications.

Notes: Product quality and misuse risk.

Paper content

Limited or poor support outside therapeutic indications.

artemisia-annua-SRC-003Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial.
Sourceopen_in_new

Han B, Kim SM, Nam GE, et al. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multi-Centered Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Artemisia annua L. Extract for Improvement of Liver Function. Clin Nutr Res. 2020;9(4):258-270. doi:10.7762/cnr.2020.9.4.258. PMID:33204666.

Population: Adults with non-alcoholic liver dysfunction at mild to moderate levels.

Dose protocol: Standardized Artemisia annua water extract (SPB-201) versus placebo for 8 weeks in 79 adults.

Key findings: Multi-center RCT found significant reductions in AST and ALT levels and improved fatigue scores in adults with non-alcoholic liver dysfunction.

Notes: Provides evidence for liver-supportive effects outside the malaria context. Small sample size limits generalizability.

Paper content

This multi-center RCT tested a standardized Artemisia annua water extract (SPB-201) in 79 adults with mild to moderate non-alcoholic liver dysfunction. Over 8 weeks, the active group showed significant reductions in AST and ALT levels compared to placebo, along with improved fatigue scores. The extract was well tolerated with no serious adverse events. The results suggest that standardized Artemisia annua extract may support liver function in people with non-alcoholic liver stress.

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