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Qing Hao

Artemisia annua

Family: Asteraceae Genus: Artemisia Species: annua Pinyin: Qing Hao Latin: Herba Artemisiae Annuae

Synonyms: Artemisia exilis, Artemisia wadei, Artemisia hyrcana, Artemisia plumosa, Artemisia annua f. macrocephala, Artemisia stewartii, Artemisia chamomilla, Artemisia suaveolens

Sweet Annie (English) Sweet Wormwood (English) Annual Wormwood (English) Qing Hao (Chinese (Pinyin)) ้’่’ฟ (Chinese)
Artemisia annua โ€” flower
Artemisia annua โ€” flower

โ˜ฏ TCM Properties

Category: clearing_heat
Temperature: cold
Taste: bitter, pungent
Meridians: kidney, liver, gallbladder, bladder, stomach, triple_burner
Functions:

Clears Summerheat or Damp-Heat; Clears Deficiency fevers; Cools the Blood and stops bleeding; Stops malarial disorders and relieves Heat; Clears Liver Heat and brightens the eyes

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:
antimicrobialanti-inflammatoryantipyreticantioxidant

Botanical Description

Artemisia annua is an aromatic annual herb in the daisy family (Asteraceae), growing 30-100 cm tall. Stems are erect, much-branched, and longitudinally grooved. Leaves are alternate, deeply 2-3 times pinnately dissected into narrow lobes, strongly aromatic with a sweet camphor-like scent. Tiny, globose, yellow flower heads are numerous and borne in loose, branched panicles. The whole plant is glandular-pubescent with a distinctive sweet-camphor fragrance. This species is the source of the antimalarial drug artemisinin.

Habitat:

Disturbed habitats, roadsides, rocky slopes, and waste places; native to temperate Asia (China, Russia), now widely naturalized and cultivated throughout tropical and temperate regions worldwide.

Native Region: Afghanistan, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Borneo, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, Central European Rus, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Chita, Cyprus, East European Russia, East Himalaya, Egypt, Greece, Hainan, India, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Iraq, Irkutsk, Japan, Jawa, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Lesser Sunda Is., Libya, Malaya, Maluku, Manchuria, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, North Caucasus, Northwest European R, Pakistan, Philippines, Primorye, Qinghai, Romania, South European Russi, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Western Sahara, Xinjiang
Conservation Notes:

Artemisia annua is a common and widespread plant, widely cultivated for artemisinin production. High demand has led to large-scale commercial cultivation. No conservation concerns.

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional Chinese Uses

Qing Hao (sweet wormwood, artemisia) is a bitter, cold, aromatic herb with its most famous application as the source of artemisinin โ€” the compound that has revolutionized modern malaria treatment. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used to clear deficiency Heat from the Ying-Blood level โ€” addressing the night fever and morning coolness pattern of late-stage febrile disease โ€” and to treat malaria with alternating chills and fever. It also clears summerheat and relieves jaundice from Damp-Heat.

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID
20254

Important Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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