Malaria is an infectious disease you contract from being bitten by the Anopheles mosquito, which harbors the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium. The parasite travels to your liver and bloodstream, causing symptoms such as headache, fever, chills, sweating, nausea and diarrhea. Malaria can be life-threatening, so seek professional help if you have been exposed to mosquitoes and develop symptoms. Herbs may be an effective and economical way to treat malaria. Consult a health care professional before starting herbal therapy for malaria.
Sweet Wormwood
Sweet wormwood, or Artemisia annua, is a tall annual herb native to Europe and Asia. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners use the plant, also known as "qing hao," as a cooling herb for fevers, including malaria. The active ingredients are artemisinin and artemisinic acid, which have been synthesized for use as antimalarial drugs. Medicinal herb specialists Ben-Erik van Wyk and Michael Wink state that sweet wormwood is both a preventive medicine and a treatment for malaria, including drug-resistant strains of the disease. They note that teas and tinctures of the whole herb are traditionally used, but tablets and suppositories containing a standardized extract are also available. They also state that recovery may occur after a single dose. Malaria is a serious disease that can have long-term effects, so consult your health care provider before treating it with herbal products.
Red Cinchona
Red cinchona, or Cinchona pubescens, is a large tree whose reddish bark contains the antimalarial drug known as quinine. Traditional herbalists use quinine, a bitter alkaloid, to treat malaria, stimulate appetite, reduce flatulence and regulate heart rhythm. According to medicinal herb experts Ben-Erik van Wyk and Michael Wink, quinine works by interfering with the metabolism and DNA of the Plasmodium parasite. They state that malarial treatment requires a daily dose of the liquid extract, containing a standardized alkaloid content. Consult your health care provider for the precise dosage based on your individual case. Van Wyk and Wink caution to not consume more than .5g at a time and no more than 3g per day.
Terminalia
Terminalia species, or Terminalia spp., are common throughout Africa and India and are traditionally used to treat a range of diseases, including malaria, constipation, diabetes, fever, heart problems, leprosy and tuberculosis. A study by R. Muganga and associates, published in the March 2010 issue of the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology," tested 13 plants traditional healers in Rwanda used to treat malaria. The researchers found that both an alcohol and water extract of the root bark of Terminalia mollis were active against the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Traditional healers use a water extract of this plant to treat malaria, so the research supports the traditional use of Terminalia. The researchers note that two other species of Terminalia, T. bentzoe and T. bellirica, native to Asia, are also active against various strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Consult your health care provider before using this plant to treat malaria.
References
- "Medicinal Plants of the World"; Ben-Erik van Wyk and Michael Wink; 2009
- PubMed.gov: Antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activities of Rwandan medicinal plants used in the treatment of malaria
