Artemisinin
Herb ·Exploratory record · not publication-reviewed ·Updated July 13, 2026
Nobel Prize-winning compound from sweet wormwood with antimalarial and anticancer research.
Exploratory record, not a reviewed medical publication.
See the editorial and medical-review policies for the publication gate.
This generated database record has not completed a claim-level review by a qualified human medical reviewer. Bibliography links and evidence labels are not approval. The page remains available for reference and is excluded from search indexing.
What the research says.
A quick, data-only summary. The full evidence, dosing, and sources are below.
Artemisinin is a herb most often used for antimalarial, anticancer research, anti-parasitic. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as moderate. A typical adult dose is 100-200 mg daily (short courses only), commonly taken as artemisinin extract or artemether. This profile indexes 17 sources.
The bottom line
Evidence rating moderate. Most-documented uses: antimalarial, anticancer research, anti-parasitic. 17 sources indexed (1993–2025), with 0 interaction records on file.
How it works, mechanistically.
Core mechanism
Endoperoxide bridge reacts with iron in parasites/cancer cells, generating cytotoxic free radicals. Selective toxicity to iron-rich cells.14
Dosing & protocol.
Take with fat; short courses only (2-4 weeks)13
What it actually costs.
Real-world pricing across three quality tiers. Assumes Artemisinin Extract.
Weak estimate: assumes 100-200 mg/day short-course use. Vendor basis: allergy/specialty brands on Amazon marketplace, iHerb, and practitioner-channel products; retail comparables are limited. Updated 2026-05-28.
The same dose, as food.
How much you'd eat to match a supplemental dose.
Artemisinin is a concentrated compound from sweet wormwood and is not meaningfully obtained from ordinary foods.
Full safety detail.
Sources, by evidence tier.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Meta-analyses & systematic reviews
5- 1Efficacy and Safety of Artemisinin-Piperaquine for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Malaria: A Systematic ReviewPMIDWang Q, Zou Y, Pan Z et al. · Frontiers in pharmacology · 2020
Wang Q, Zou Y, Pan Z et al.. Efficacy and Safety of Artemisinin-Piperaquine for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Malaria: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in pharmacology. 2020
- 2Efficacy and resistance of different artemisinin-based combination therapies: a systematic review and network meta-analysisPMIDMathenge PG, Low SK, Vuong NL et al. · Parasitology international · 2020
Mathenge PG, Low SK, Vuong NL et al.. Efficacy and resistance of different artemisinin-based combination therapies: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Parasitology international. 2020
- 3Artemether for severe malariaPMIDEsu EB, Effa EE, Opie ON, Meremikwu MM · Cochrane Database Syst Rev · 2019
Cochrane review of 19 RCTs (2874 patients) found intramuscular artemether probably results in fewer deaths than quinine in adults (RR 0.59) and is as effective in children. Artemether is inferior to artesunate in adults.
- 4Efficacy and safety of artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) for non-falciparum malaria: a systematic reviewPMIDVisser BJ, Wieten RW, Kroon D et al. · Malaria journal · 2014
Visser BJ, Wieten RW, Kroon D et al.. Efficacy and safety of artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) for non-falciparum malaria: a systematic review. Malaria journal. 2014
- 5Systematic review and meta-analysis of artemisinin based therapies for the treatment and prevention of schistosomiasisPMIDPérez del Villar L, Burguillo FJ, López-Abán J et al. · PloS one · 2012
Pérez del Villar L, Burguillo FJ, López-Abán J et al.. Systematic review and meta-analysis of artemisinin based therapies for the treatment and prevention of schistosomiasis. PloS one. 2012
Randomized controlled trials
1- 6Efficacy and safety of praziquantel plus artemisinin-based combinations versus praziquantel in the treatment of Kenyan children with Schistosoma mansoni infection: open-label, randomized, head-to-head, non-inferiority trialPMIDObonyo CO, Were VO, Wamae P, Muok EMO · Antimicrob Agents Chemother · 2025
RCT of 540 Kenyan children found praziquantel plus artesunate-mefloquine and praziquantel plus dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine were non-inferior to praziquantel alone for treating S. mansoni infection.
Reviews & position papers
9- 7A comprehensive overview of Artemisinin and its derivatives as anticancer agentsPMIDMa Z et al. · Eur J Med Chem · 2023
Artemisinin derivatives show broad-spectrum antitumor activities via ROS production, cell cycle inhibition, apoptosis induction, and angiogenesis inhibition.
- 8Acute and subacute oral toxicity of artemisinin-hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets in beagle dogsPMIDLi X, Feng J, Yuan Y et al. · Drug and chemical toxicology · 2023
Li X, Feng J, Yuan Y et al.. Acute and subacute oral toxicity of artemisinin-hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets in beagle dogs. Drug and chemical toxicology. 2023
- 9Artemisinins as Anticancer Drugs: Novel Therapeutic Approaches, Molecular Mechanisms, and Clinical TrialsPMIDEfferth T et al. · Front Pharmacol · 2020
Clinical trials provide encouraging evidence for artemisinin anticancer activity; safety studies show no evident toxicity and low adverse effects incidence.
- 10The discovery of artemisinin and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicinePMIDSu XZ et al. · Sci China Life Sci · 2015
The 2015 Nobel Prize was awarded to Professor Youyou Tu for artemisinin discovery; the drug has saved millions of lives as antimalarial treatment.
- 11Toxicity of the antimalarial artemisinin and its dervativesPMIDEfferth T et al. · Crit Rev Toxicol · 2010
Large clinical studies did not show serious side effects, but paucity of large-scale trials means a definitive safety statement cannot yet be made for prolonged use.
- 12Artemisinins: their growing importance in medicineSource linkedPMIDEfferth T · Trends Pharmacol Sci · 2005
- 13Artemisinin derivatives: toxic for laboratory animals, safe for humans?PMIDToovey S et al. · Toxicol Lett · 2004
Artemisinin compounds show neurotoxicity in animal models at high parenteral doses but appear virtually void of serious side effects in humans; oral route has rapid clearance.
- 14Artemisinin antimalarials: mechanisms of action and resistancePMIDMeshnick SR et al. · Parassitologia · 1999
Artemisinin acts via two-step mechanism: first activated by intraparasitic heme-iron which cleaves the endoperoxide bridge, then the resulting free radical kills the parasite.
- 15Artemisinin compounds in treatment of malariaSource linkedPMIDLindsay SW · Lancet (London, England) · 1993
Reference material
2- 16Saito M, McGready R, Tinto H et al.. Pregnancy outcomes after first-trimester treatment with artemisinin derivatives versus non-artemisinin antimalarials: a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis. Lancet (London, England). 2023Source linkedPMID
- 17Ikram NKBK, Simonsen HT. A Review of Biotechnological Artemisinin Production in Plants. Frontiers in plant science. 2017Source linkedPMID
Common questions.
Quick answers about Artemisinin, drawn from the data on this page.
What is Artemisinin?
Nobel Prize-winning compound from sweet wormwood with antimalarial and anticancer research.
What is Artemisinin used for?
Commonly cited benefits of Artemisinin include: Antimalarial; Anticancer research; Anti-parasitic. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as moderate.
What is a typical dose of Artemisinin?
A typical adult dose of Artemisinin is 100-200 mg daily (short courses only). The commonly recommended form is Artemisinin extract or artemether. These are general ranges, not personalized advice; confirm the right dose with a clinician.
What are the side effects of Artemisinin?
Reported side effects include gi upset, dizziness, neurotoxicity with prolonged use. This is educational information; check with a healthcare professional before use.
How strong is the evidence for Artemisinin?
NutriStack rates this as Moderate, meaning several aligned RCTs or one large RCT plus supporting reviews. Full tier criteria are at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/evidence-tiers.
Use this with your stack
Artemisinin in NutriStack.
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