Artemisia Annua is a plant native from China. Chinese medicine traditionally uses this plant for more than 2.000 years. This herb is known by its antiparasitic action on malaria, lyme and its co-infections.
The treatment with the plant Artemisia annua, which most people know as sweet wormwood or sweet Annie is promissor against coronavirus. Research over the past few decades has revealed multiple health benefits from this plant with an uncommon name.
Youyou Tu a Chinese pharmaceutical chemist and malariologist, won a Nobel Prize in medicine, in 2015.
She discovered artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin, to treat malaria, saving millions of lives in South China, Southeast Asia and Africa.
The Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Postdam, Germany, collaborate with ArtemiLife Inc in Denmark. They test Artemisia plant extract and artemisinin derivates in laboratory cell studies against the novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2.
University of Kentucky researchers are also exploring its use. According to University of Kentucky:
”Surprisingly, results showed that the plants leaves, when extracted with absolute ethanol or distilled water, provided more antiviral activity than the actual drug itself.” Meaning that an Artemisia annua blended coffee or tea could possibly be more effective than taking the drug.
The new arms of the clinical trial will test the effectiveness of Artemisia annua extract as well as artesunate, a derivative of the plant that is a standard treatment for malaria in many parts of the world.
Initial studies in China showed the alcoholic extract of Artemisia Annua was the second most potent herbal medicine used on the 2005 Sars-CoV.
Researches at Columbia University in New York and 2 others institutes demonstrated that extracts based on artemisinin and total flavonoides, show antiviral activity against Sars-CoV-2.
This herb proves safely use to reduce levels of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-a) in vivo.
What are flavonoids?
You have surely already heard of flavonoids, these polyphenols responsible for the colouring of plants, which also protect them from ultraviolet rays and insects.
Particularly present in fruits and vegetables, they are recognized as powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. They are associated with the fight against cardiovascular diseases.
A 2019 study demonstrated that the activity of 4 specific flavonoids blocked one of the enzymatic activities essential for viral replication of MERS coronavirus.
Experiments in 2020 with the same team on the new coronavirus, revealed the potent action of flavonoids blocking the enzymatic activity in one of the enzymes of SARS-CoV.
Apigenin, luteolin, quercetin are the 3 major flavonoids constituents of Artemisia, such as kaempferol.
Focus on luteolin, that acts as an antiviral according to 2 mechanisms:
1- As an inhibitor of viral transcription factors 4.
2-As an inhibitor of the interaction between a viral protein of SARS-CoV and the famous ACE2 receptor.
SARS-CoV use human ACE2 receptors (human angiotensin converting enzyme that maintains blood pressure) to fuse with the membrane and enter cells.
Luteolin prevents this entry. And also acts both as an antiviral and as anti-inflammatory specific to SARS-CoV.
Quercetin is a flavonoid big star which acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Artemisinin from Artemisia Annua as a Covid-19 treatment?
Researchers recently are discovering that the plant is bioactive against certain viruses 🦠 such as hepatitis C and B. If they find success in the human trials, it may mean the discovery of a treatment for Covid-19 that meets many criteria. These include being widely available, effective and safe.
In Switzerland a holistic doctor Dr. Thomas Rau recommends taking Artemisia as a preventive treatment against coronavirus.
People who follow this recommendation along with other vitamins like C, D and Zinc, have not caught Covid-19 until now.
See Swiss Secret against Coronavirus
What is Covid Organics?
In Madagascar president Andry Rajoelina, promotes Covid Organics, a tonic containing A. annua.
Developed by Malagasy Institute of Applied Research is one of the most high-profile advocates for using herbal remedy against the novel coronavirus.
The team of Malagasy Institute developed an herbal tea that combines Artemisia with other ingredients. The remedies included in the tea have no known side effects. Pharmacies in Africa have sold artemisinin monotherapy for many years.
The group combed through their catalog of thousands of medicinal herbs collected since 1957. Their hypothesis was that if they could find a treatment for “the cough, respiratory difficulties, the aches, the fever, then we could treat the virus.
Artemisinin contains a chemically stable peroxide, which is according to the basic rules of chemistry, simply not possible to exist.
Once encountered by high concentrations of iron, artemisinin becomes unstable. Its peroxide is rapidly cleaved into aggressive free radicals.
They damage biological macromolecules of the surrounding cells (such as cells of the malaria parasite or cancer cells) within no time. Consequently inhibit the replication of the virus.
In conclusion:
I believe in Artemisia’s potential to treat viruses, such as coronavirus. I have seen many people who took the extract from this plant, not getting the virus. Also people who caught, using Artemisia together with others supplements such as Vitamin C, D and Zinc were well recovered. However, you should consult your doctor and do not follow treatments on your own.
by Helena
ref:
Ferreira, J. F. , Luthria, D. L. , Sasaki, T. , & Heyerick, A. (2010). Flavonoids from Artemisia annuaL. as antioxidants and their potential synergism with artemisinin against malaria and cancer. Molecules, 15(5),Pubmed, Google Scholar.
Ren JL, Zhang AH, Wang XJ, 2020. Traditional Chinese medicine for COVID-19 treatment. Pharmacol Res 155: 104743.Pubmed, Google Scholar.
Dr. Thomas Rau (Switzerland).
Naturalize Yourself !
