Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Artemisia annua and Artemisia afra Essential Oils and Their Therapeutic Potential

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Essential Oil Research

Abstract

Known for its production of the antimalarial drug, artemisinin, Artemisia annua L. contains a plethora of other phytochemicals and is a rich source of essential oils. Oil content and compositions vary considerably among cultivars, change throughout plant development, and vary with the geographic region. Many of the oils have antimicrobial activity and repel insects. Although numerous oil constituents have therapeutic properties, the response varies with mode of oil delivery to the patient, affecting both bioavailability of other compounds and their therapeutic efficacy. Depending on type and concentration, some oil constituents are also toxic to livestock and humans. Here, the essential oil contents of mainly A. annua, but also its close cousin, A. afra, which also has antimalarial capability, are discussed in relation to variations in the plant and eventual cost-effective use for a number of different therapeutic purposes including for treatment of many parasitic and microbial diseases, some viral diseases, and a variety of cancers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Abbreviations

ACT:

Artemisinin combination therapy

EO:

Essential oil

References

  • Asekun OT, Grierson DS, Afolayan AJ (2007) Variations in the quality and yield of the essential oil from Artemisia afra using different drying methods. J Essent Oil Bear Pl 10(1):5–9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ashafa AOT, Pitso TR (2014) Effects of microwave drying on the yield and chemical composition of essential oils of Artemisia afra Jacq. Ex willd from the Eastern Free State South Africa. J Essent Oil Bear Pl 17(6):1087–1093

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Augustijns P, D’Hulst A, Van Daele J, Kinget R (1996) Transport of artemisinin and sodium artesunate in Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells. J Pharm Sci 85(6):577–579

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bagchi GD, Haider F, Dwivedi PD, Singh A, Naqvi AA (2003) Essential oil constituents of Artemisia annua during different growth periods at monsoon conditions of subtropical north Indian plains. J Essent Oil Res 15(4):248–250

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bedini S, Flamini G, Cosci F, Ascrizzi R, Echeverria MC, Guidi L, Landi M, Lucchi A, Conti B (2017) Artemisia spp. essential oils against the disease-carrying blowfly Calliphora vomitoria. Parasit Vectors 10(1):80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deiml T, Haseneder R, Zieglgänsberger W, Rammes G, Eisensamer B, Rupprecht R, Hapfelmeier G (2004) α-Thujone reduces 5-HT 3 receptor activity by an effect on the agonist-induced desensitization. Neuropharmacology 46(2):192–201

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Desrosiers MR, Weathers PJ (2016) Effect of leaf digestion and artemisinin solubility for use in oral consumption of dried Artemisia annua leaves to treat malaria. J Ethnopharmacol 190:313–318

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Desrosiers MR, Weathers PJ (2017) Artemisinin permeability via Caco-2 cells increases after simulated digestion of Artemisia annua leaves. J Ethnopharmacol

    Google Scholar 

  • Duke JA (2001) Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL

    Google Scholar 

  • Durden K, Sellars S, Cowell B, Brown JJ, Pszczolkowski MA (2011) Artemisia annua extracts, artemisinin and 1, 8-cineole, prevent fruit infestation by a major, cosmopolitan pest of apples. Pharm Biol 49(6):563–568

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu E (2006) The history of qing hao in the Chinese materia medica. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 100(6):505–508

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Höld KM, Sirisoma NS, Ikeda T, Narahashi T, Casida JE (2000) α-Thujone (the active component of absinthe): γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor modulation and metabolic detoxification. Proc Natl Acad Sci 97(8):3826–3831

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juteau F, Masotti V, Bessière JM, Dherbomez M, Viano J (2002) Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Artemisia annua essential oil. Fitoterapia 73(6):532–535

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee I-S, Hufford CD (1990) Metabolism of antimalarial sesquiterpene lactones. Pharmacol Ther 48(3):345–355

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Hu H-b, Zheng X-d, Zhu J-h, Liu L-p (2011) Composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil from the aerial part of Artemisia annua. J Med Plant Res 5(16):3629–3633

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu KC-SC, Yang S-L, Roberts MF, Elford BC, Phillipson JD (1992) Antimalarial activity of Artemisia annua flavonoids from whole plants and cell cultures. Plant Cell Rep 11(12):637–640

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu NQ, Van der Kooy F, Verpoorte R (2009) Artemisia afra: a potential flagship for African medicinal plants? S Afr J Bot 75(2):185–195

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Massiha A, Majid Khoshkholgh-Pahlavian M, Issazadeh K, Bidarigh S, Zarrabi S (2013) Antibacterial activity of essential oils and plant extracts of Artemisia (Artemisia annua L.) in vitro. Zahedan J Res Med Sci 15(6):14–18

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Munyangi J, Cornet-Vernet L, Idumbo M, Lu C, Lutgen P, Perronne C, Ngombe N, Bianga J, Mupenda B, Lalukala P, Mergeai G, Mumba D, Towler M, Weathers P (2018) Effect of Artemisia annua and Artemisia afra tea infusions on schistosomiasis in a large clinical trial. Phytomedicine 51:233–240

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Munyangi J, Cornet-Vernet L, Idumbo M, Lu C, Lutgen P, Perronne C, Ngombe N, Bianga J, Mupenda B, Lalukala P, Mergeai G, Mumba D, Towler M, Weathers P (2019) Artemisia annua and Artemisia afra tea infusions vs. artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) in treating Plasmodium falciparum malaria in a large scale, double blind, randomized clinical trial. Phytomedicine 57:49–56

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Navaratnam V, Mansor SM, Sit N-W, Grace J, Li Q, Olliaro P (2000) Pharmacokinetics of artemisinin-type compounds. Clin Pharmacokinet 39(4):255–270

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Patil GV, Dass SK, Chandra R (2011) Artemisia afra and modern diseases. J Pharmacogenomics Pharmacoproteomics 2(3)

    Google Scholar 

  • Radulović NS, Randjelović PJ, Stojanović NM, Blagojević PD, Stojanović-Radić ZZ, Ilić IR, Djordjević VB (2013) Toxic essential oils. Part II: chemical, toxicological, pharmacological and microbiological profiles of Artemisia annua L. volatiles. Food Chem Toxicol 58:37–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rana VS, Abirami K, Blázquez MA, Maiti S (2013) Essential oil composition of Artemisia annua L. at different growth stages. J Spices Aromat Crops 22(2):181–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Seo K-A, Kim H, Ku H-Y, Ahn H-J, Park S-J, Bae SK, Shin J-G, Liu K-H (2008) The monoterpenoids citral and geraniol are moderate inhibitors of CYP2B6 hydroxylase activity. Chem Biol Interact 174(3):141–146

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Song N-N, Zhang S-Y, Liu C-X (2004) Overview of factors affecting oral drug absorption. Asian J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 4(3):167–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Suberu JO, Gorka AP, Jacobs L, Roepe PD, Sullivan N, Barker GC, Lapkin AA (2013) Anti-plasmodial polyvalent interactions in Artemisia annua L. aqueous extract – possible synergistic and resistance mechanisms. PLoS One 8(11):e80790

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svensson USH, Ashton M (1999) Identification of the human cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in the in vitro metabolism of artemisinin. Br J Clin Pharmacol 48(4):528–535

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tegtmeier M, Harnischfeger G (1994) Methods for the reduction of thujone content in pharmaceutical preparations of Artemisia, Salvia and Thuja. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 40(5):337–340

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Towler MJ, Weathers PJ (2015) Variations in key artemisinic and other metabolites throughout plant development in Artemisia annua L. for potential therapeutic use. Ind Crop Prod 67:185–191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi AK, Prajapati V, Aggarwal KK, Khanuja SPS, Kumar S (2000) Repellency and toxicity of oil from Artemisia annua to certain stored-product beetles. J Econ Entomol 93(1):43–47

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tu Y (2011) The discovery of artemisinin (qinghaosu) and gifts from Chinese medicine. Nat Med 17(10):1217–1220

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tzenkova R, Kamenarska Z, Draganov A, Atanassov A (2010) Composition of Artemisia annua essential oil obtained from species growing wild in Bulgaria. Biotechnol Biotechnol Equip 24(2):1833–1835

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Verdian-Rizi MR, Sadat-Ebrahimi E, Hadjiakhoondi A, Fazeli MR, Pirali Hamedani M (2008) Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Artemisia annua L. essential oil from Iran. J Med Plant 1(25):58–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Viuda-Martos M, El Gendy AE-NGS, Sendra E, Fernandez-Lopez J, Abd El Razik KA, Omer EA, Pérez-Alvarez JA (2010) Chemical composition and antioxidant and anti-Listeria activities of essential oils obtained from some Egyptian plants. J Agric Food Chem 58(16):9063–9070

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Watt JM, Breyer-Brandwijk MG (1962) The medicinal and poisonous plants of Southern Africa and Eastern Africa: being an account of their medicinal and other uses, chemical composition, pharmacological effects and toxicology in man and animal. E.S. Livingstone, Edinburgh

    Google Scholar 

  • Weathers PJ, Arsenault PR, Covello PS, McMickle A, Teoh KH, Reed DW (2011) Artemisinin production in Artemisia annua: studies in planta and results of a novel delivery method for treating malaria and other neglected diseases. Phytochem Rev 10(2):173–183

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weathers PJ, Cambra HM, Desrosiers MR, Rassias D, Towler MJ (2017) Artemisinin the nobel molecule: from plant to patient. In: Studies in natural products chemistry. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 193–229

    Google Scholar 

  • Weathers PJ, Towler M, Hassanali A, Lutgen P, Engeu PO (2014) Dried-leaf Artemisia annua: a practical malaria therapeutic for developing countries? World Journal of Pharmacology 3(4):39–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weathers PJ, Towler MJ (2014) Changes in key constituents of clonally propagated Artemisia annua L. during preparation of compressed leaf tablets for possible therapeutic use. Ind Crop Prod 62:173–178

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Z-n, Zhu S-q, Yu Z-w (2012) Comparison of terpene components from flowers of Artemisia annua. Bangladesh J Pharmacol 7(2):114–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for award Number NIH-2R15AT008277-02 from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health that enabled MJT and PJW to provide phytochemical analyses of the plant and essential oil samples. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health or the National Institutes of Health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA

    Matthew R. Desrosiers, Melissa J. Towler & Pamela J. Weathers

Authors
  1. Matthew R. Desrosiers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Melissa J. Towler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Pamela J. Weathers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pamela J. Weathers .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology and School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Biological and Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil

    Sonia Malik

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Desrosiers, M.R., Towler, M.J., Weathers, P.J. (2019). Artemisia annua and Artemisia afra Essential Oils and Their Therapeutic Potential. In: Malik, S. (eds) Essential Oil Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16546-8_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation