ABSTRACT
The plant has become naturalized and is cultivated in many countries including Argentina, Spain, the United States, and Africa—mainly Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria—to support the production of the antimalarial artemisinin. The cultivation of Artemisia annua has expanded from its center of origin to other parts of the globe; mainly Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria, in response to the call by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the use of artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) for treating malaria fever. Besides its antimalarial properties, A. annua has been shown to be effective in the treatment of skin diseases and also to be an effective non-selective herbicide. Field production of A. annua is presently the only commercially viable method to produce artemisinin because the synthesis of the complex molecule is uneconomic. Covering A. annua seeds with a transparent polythene material under moist conditions is a simple and affordable technique, especially for local farmers.
