Who first discovered artemisinin as an antimalarial?
Chinese traditional healers are credited with first discovering the antimalarial properties of the annual herb Artemisia annua, known colloquially as sweet wormwood. In China, where A.annua was first described, it is known as qinghao, and the active ingredient artemisinin is termed qinghaosu. Although it has been used as an antimalarial in traditional Chinese medicine for many years, artemisinin was first isolated in 1972 by scientists working for the Chinese military (People’s Liberation Army).
