Breakthrough Plant-Based Therapy for Drug-Resistant Malaria

Malaria is a febrile parasitic illness (Plasmodium spp) transmitted by mosquito bite. According to WHO estimates more than 212 million contracted malaria in 2015 and nearly half a million persons died. Drug-resistant malaria can be cured by administration of plant-based tablets made from dried-leaf Artemisia (DLA) in the Congo Republic of Africa according to a report by Pamela Weathers, PhD, professor of biology and biotechnology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), who has developed and pioneered the use of dried leaves of Artemisia annua (DLA) as anti-malarial treatment.