Malaria is still one of the major diseases in the world, causing physical and economic problems in tropical regions. Artemisinin (Qinghaosu), a natural compound identified in Artemisia annua L. , is an effective drug mainly against cerebral malaria. The action of this drug is immediate and parasitaemia in the treatment of drug-resistant malaria is rapidily reduced, justifying the industrial production of artemisinin. This article focuses on the industrial production of this potent antimalarial drug, including strategies for enhancing yield using inexpensive and easy steps.

Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone used in treatment of chloroquine-resistant malaria. This paper presents high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for artemisinin in leaves of A. annua using differential refractometer detector and a single step of clean-up in a silica cartridge. The average of recoveries were 95% and the limit of quantification was 0,21% p/p using 200 mg of the leaves. This method was found to be simple, robust and relatively rapid.