The history of qing hao in the Chinese materia medica

Abstract

Artemisinin is currently used for treating drug-resistant malaria. It is found in Artemisia annua and also in A. apiacea and A. lancea. Artemisia annua and A. apiacea were known to the Chinese in antiquity and, since they were easily confused with each other, both provided plant material for the herbal drug qing hao (blue-green hao). This article shows, however, that since at least the eleventh century Chinese scholars recognized the difference between the two species, and advocated the use of A. apiacea, rather than A. annua for 'treating lingering heat in joints and bones' and 'exhaustion due to heat/fevers'. The article furthermore provides a literal translation of the method of preparing qing hao for treating intermittent fever episodes, as advocated by the eminent physician Ge Hong in the fourth century CE. His recommendation was to soak the fresh plant in cold water, wring it out and ingest the expressed juice in its raw state. Both findings may have important practical implications for current traditional usage of the plant as an antimalarial: rather than using the dried leaves of A. annua in warm infusions, it suggests that fresh juice extraction from A. apiacea may improve efficacy.

Experimental Therapy of Hepatoma with Artemisinin and Its Derivatives: In vitro and In vivo Activity, Chemosensitization, and Mechanisms of Action

“…Artemisinin (ART), a natural product isolated from the plant Artemesia annua L, is widely used as an antimalarial drug (9). Various derivatives of ART, such as dihydroartemisinin (DHA), artemether (ARM), and artesunate (ARS; Fig.…”

In vitro susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum Welch field isolates to infusions prepared from Artemisia annua L. cultivated in the Brazilian Amazon

“…annua is a plant native to North China, mainly in the provinces of Chahar and Suiyuan, where it is known by the common name qinghao (blue-green hao) (Hsu 2006). This herb has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years as an infusion for the treatment of fever and malaria.…”

Reproductive Development Modulates Gene Expression and Metabolite Levels with Possible Feedback Inhibition of Artemisinin in Artemisia annua

“…The medicinal plant Artemisia annua, used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years (Acton and Klayman, 1985;Hsu, 2006), produces artemisinin (AN; Fig. 1), the sesquiterpene lactone endoperoxide that is the central component of AN combination therapy.…”