Sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua L.), also known as sweet annie or annual wormwood, is currently one of the most sought after medicinal plants. In traditional Chinese medicine, it was first mentioned in 300 BC for its use in treating symptoms of fever. During the search for a new medicine in the fight against malaria, a Chinese scientist Tu Youyou discovered that sweet wormwood preparations have the greatest potential for the desired cure. She also discovered the active ingredient in the plant - artemisinin, for which she received the Nobel Prize in 2015.

 

Artemisinin has attracted the attention of many researchers around the world. In the last decade, there have been many indications (and publications in scientific articles) that the activity of artemisinin is not limited to malaria alone, and that it may also be useful for other purposes.