Sweet Annie: A Versatile Herbal Medicine With Many Uses - Essay Sample

Introduction

Sweet Annie is an herb with many names including but not limited to wormwood, sweet sagewort, and Artemisia annua, depending on the various parts of the world in which the substance is naturalized. Medicine is made using parts of the herb that grow above the ground. It has an odorous smell and a bitter taste (Singh, 2016). Sweet Annie grows wildly in many parts of the world. Sweet Annie is commonly used to manufacture antimalarial drugs in the laboratory because of its chemical components. It is also used to manufacture medicine for bacterial infections like tuberculosis and dysentery, viral, and fungal infections. Among many of its uses is that by AIDS patients to prevent pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)-a fatal lung infection caused by fungi (Tin et al., 2012). There are many other health benefits of Sweet Annie that have been documented of the years from various parts of the world in which the drug has been used for different purposes. This paper presents various aspects of sweet Annie from a medical perspective.

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Claimed Health Benefits

One of the most common health benefits of this herb is its use for treating malaria in many parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, and many parts of Europe where its lab-made product is sold people suffering from malaria. Many sources have claimed that Sweet Annie helps in the treatment of dysentery and tuberculosis. Other studies have found that it can also be used to make drugs that treat illnesses caused by parasites, worms, and mites. Additionally, it has been used many times in the treatment viral as well as fungal infections, including common cold (Tin et al., 2012). In other parts of the world, Sweet Annie has been used to treat stomach upset, jaundice, fever, systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE), psoriasis, loss of appetite, and other autoimmune disorders. It is also beneficial in treating disorders associated with blood vessels, painful menstruation, constipation, gall bladder disorders, and rheumatism. Other sources claim that it also kills cancerous cells (Krishna et al., 2008).

Literature That Supports or Refutes Claims

Tin et al. (2012) have found that artemisinin, an extract from this drug, has antimalarial compounds that also contain promising anti-cancer properties, especially breast cancer, colon, lung, and pancreatic cancers. Krishna et al. (2008) detailed the action of artemisinin, its role in treating even the most drug-resistant malaria strains, its role in the cure of certain cancer types, and parasitic infections like schistosomiasis. Maude et al. (2009) ascertained that the extracts of this herb have superiority to all other available antimalarial alternatives while also sharing the Chinese experiences with the treatment of various kinds of illnesses. Neonatal jaundice has also been treated using extracts from sweet Annie as per the Chinese traditional medicine (Ho, 1996). Romero et al. (2006) highlighted the role of artemisinin in treating viral disorders and diarrhea, while Wu, Zhou, and Wu (2004) detailed the role of the extract in the dilation blood vessels such as veins. While many sources support the use of artemisinin in many drugs, other sources indicate serious side effects of the extract. Drugs made in the lab can cause congenital disabilities or death to the fetus when consumed at the early pregnancy stages. A report indicated that large doses of Sweet Annie caused liver damage (Ministry of Health NZ, 2018).

Pharmaceutics

The major active constituent Sweet Annie is the artemisinin compound whose derivatives include artemether, arteether, artesunate, artemotil, and dihydroartemisinin, which is also used together with artemisinin to treat both drug-resistant and non-drug resistant strains of malaria. The vertical part that grows above the ground contains between 0.01and 0.8 percent of artemisinin. Additional constituents of sweet Annie include artemisinic acid, deoxyartemisinin, stigmasterol, arteannuin-B, artemetin, and tetramethyl ether, among many others. According to Chukwurah et al. (2014), leaf extracts of sweet Annie have potent antioxidant activities that can benefit human health. Also, the aqueous organic solvents from this plant are superior to all the available alternatives in terms of antioxidant potential and chemical stability. The drug analysis indicates the components, in percentage, of the essential oil taken from the leaves of sweet Annie. Artemisia ketone(3%), beta-caryophyllene and beta-selinene (9%), camphor(44%), germacrene D(16%), and trans-pinocarveol (11%) are some of the compounds of sweet Annie (Chukwurah et al., 2014).

Mechanisms for Actions

Sweet Annie contains artemisinin whose action is to inactivate the malarial parasite but without killing them hence making it possible for the parasite to develop drug resistance when used alone (Krishna et al., 2008). However, when combined with additional herbs or modern medicines, it becomes effective for treating malaria. Other chemical constituents in this herb are cytotoxic to cancerous cells; meaning has anti-cancer properties in addition to anti-mutagenic, antimicrobial, and anti-proliferative characteristics, among others (Maude et al., 2009).

Commercial Sources

In most cases, sweet Annie occurs naturally in most parts of Asia, especially China, where it forms part of steppe vegetation. The herb grows between 1000 and 1500 above sea level. In countries like the US, it has naturalized and exists wildly. However, it is commercially cultivated in small capacities in China, Vietnam, and the US for various purposes. In the US, it is grown commercially for not only medicinal purposes but also as a source of an aromatic wreath. It is also grown in some parts of Canada for use by particular pharmaceutical companies. In Africa, it is grown mainly in Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania for the sole purpose of manufacturing antimalarial drugs (Krishna et al., 2008). The commercial growth of sweet Annie in Africa immediately began the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACT) in the fight against the drug-resistant strain of malaria.

Nutraceutical-Drug or Nutraceutical-Nutraceutical Interactions

There is very scanty information on the interactions, both nutraceutical-nutraceutical or nutraceutical-drug interactions of sweet Annie. Some sources indicate that extract from this herb is being given currently as nutritional supplements in liquid form and capsules to help with menstrual pain and gastrointestinal disorders ("Nutraceuticals applications of Artemisia annua," n.d.). People who have porphyria are not advised to use sweet Annie extract because thujone components in sweet Annie or wormwood oil might increase the production of porphyrins chemicals, making the condition worse (Singh, 2016). While its extracts can also be used as a tea-based product, no clear or comprehensive information exists concerning the interactions of this herb.

Current Regulatory Status

WHO (2019) provided the regulatory stance on both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical use of sweet Annie and its components or derivatives. The body maintains that ACTs should be considered as the first and second choice treatment option for uncomplicated malaria strains such as p. falciparum. According to WHO regulations, therapeutic efficacy studies (TESs) should be done at regular intervals and treatments done according to new drug efficacies. This protocol allows early detection of the changes in the parasite behavior, susceptibility as well as timely revisions of treatment policies of malaria. The health organization, however, does not recommend the use of sweet Annie plant material for any use concerning the prevention or treatment of malaria because of the varied content and quality of the herbs components and derivatives (WHO, 2019). The contents of the herb alone cannot kill malaria parasites and must be combined with other drugs to be effective. These forms of regulations are constructive, but they won't affect much the future use of this herb in many forms because even the ancient Chinese applications of sweet Annie were in many forms, but the results were still effective in the treatment of various diseases. The current regulations are mainly focused on the treatment of malaria, so the future is still unpredictable.

Conclusion

To conclude, sweet Annie as a herb has been traditionally used for centuries in the treatment of numerous illnesses. Its ability to treat many illnesses has attracted the attention of pharmaceuticals that have continually used its extracts to manufacture various kinds of medicine for numerous complications. Its health benefits have extensive support from diverse sources of literature. Its pharmaceutics, mode of action, and interactions have provided an understanding of how the herb works to treat illnesses. The regulations provided by WHO guide the manufacture and use of medicines that contain the extracts of sweet Annie.

References

Chukwurah, P., Brisibe, E., Osuagwu, A., & Okoko, T. (2014). Protective capacity of Artemisia annua as a potent antioxidant remedy against free radical damage. Asian Pacific Journal Of Tropical Biomedicine, 4, S92-S98. https://doi.org/10.12980/apjtb.4.2014c731

Ho N. K. (1996). Traditional Chinese medicine and treatment of neonatal jaundice. Singapore medical journal, 37(6), 645-651.

Krishna, S., Bustamante, L., Haynes, R., & Staines, H. (2008). Artemisinins: their growing importance in medicine. Trends In Pharmacological Sciences, 29(10), 520-527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2008.07.004

Maude, R., Woodrow, C., & White, L. (2009). Artemisinin antimalarials: preserving the amagic bulleta. Drug Development Research, n/a-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1002/ddr.20344

Ministry of Health NZ. (2018). Renewed Warning of Liver Harm. Retrieved 21 April 2020, from https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/renewed-warning-liver-harm.

Nutraceuticals applications of Artemisia annua. Artennua. Retrieved 22 April 2020, from https://www.artennua.com/applications/nutraceuticals/.

Romero, M. R., Serrano, M. A., Vallejo, M., Efferth, T., Alvarez, M., & Marin, J. J. (2006). Antiviral effect of artemisinin from Artemisia annua against a model member of the Flaviviridae family, the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). Planta Medica, 72(13), 1169-1174. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-947198

Singh, J. (2016). Sweet Wormwood - Artemisia Annua (Sweet Annie). ayurtimes.com. Retrieved 22 April 2020, from https://www.ayurtimes.com/sweet-wormwood-artemisia-annua-sweet-annie/.

Tin, A., Sundar, S., Tran, K., Park, A., Poindexter, K., & Firestone, G. (2012). Anti-proliferative effects of artemisinin on human breast cancer cells requires the downregulated expression of the E2F1 transcription factor and loss of E2F1-target cell cycle genes. Anti-Cancer Drugs, 23(4), 370-379. https://doi.org/10.1097/cad.0b013e32834f6ea8

World Health Organisation(WHO). (2019). WHO technical document of the use of non-pharmaceutical forms of Artemisia [Ebook] (pp. 1-20). Retrieved 22 April 2020, from https://www.who.int/malaria/mpac/mpac-october2019-session3-non-pharmaceutical-use-artemisia.pdf.

Wu, G. D., Zhou, H. J., & Wu, X. H. (2004). Apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells induced by artesunate. Vascular Pharmacology, 41(6), 205-212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vph.2004.11.001