Phytochemical synergy in artemisia annua herbal tea against malaria: a systematic review of its efficacy and safety in the context of emerging Pfkelch13 resistance
Infectious Diseases of Poverty·
- DOI
- 10.1186/s40249-026-01486-x
- PMID
- —
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7202368995
- Study type
- Systematic review
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The pronounced difference between rapid initial clearance and prolonged parasitological failure positions the botanical infusion as a supplementary measure rather than a definitive monotherapy in endemic regions.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
This review evaluates how effectively whole-plant Artemisia annua herbal tea reduces Plasmodium falciparum infections compared to standard treatments, while assessing safety profiles and potential impacts on drug resistance patterns.
Study design
The authors performed a PRISMA-compliant systematic review aggregating data from randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, laboratory synergy assays, and murine infection models published over a twenty-five-year span.
Population and setting
Included participants originated from human clinical trials, while experimental components utilized rodent models infected with diverse parasite strains, including those exhibiting multidrug resistance and specific genetic mutations.
Main findings
Laboratory analyses revealed that the unrefined plant extract produced stronger synergistic inhibition and delayed resistance development relative to isolated artemisinin compounds. Clinical trial records indicated swift initial parasite reduction but consistently poor day-28 cure rates that remained substantially below established combination therapy thresholds. Documented adverse reactions were typically minor, though comprehensive safety metrics for pediatric, maternal, and medically complex cohorts were entirely absent.
Public-health relevance
The pronounced difference between rapid initial clearance and prolonged parasitological failure positions the botanical infusion as a supplementary measure rather than a definitive monotherapy in endemic regions.
Important limitations
The synthesis identifies a critical shortage of rigorous safety and efficacy documentation for vulnerable groups, including young children, pregnant individuals, and patients with organ impairment. Furthermore, observed delays in resistance emergence within animal models have not yet been replicated in actual clinical environments across Africa.
GIDS interpretation
This publication offers a consolidated assessment of botanical intervention outcomes and pharmacological interactions relevant to malaria management discourse. Its cataloging within literature tracking systems aids researchers in monitoring alternative therapeutic evaluations and resistance pattern discussions without implying alignment with active outbreak detection mechanisms.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 7 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.