With the number of trials and tribulations in life, it is often difficult to remember that people living in other countries are suffering from misfortunes as well. Amidst the current concerns in the United States such as the upcoming flu season and the shortage of doses, there is a much larger crisis at large in the continent of Africa: Malaria.

For thousands of years, traditional medicine has been used to treat malaria. Such medicines have been the source of two main groups of modern antimalarial drugs:

• Artemisinin
• Quinine derivatives

However, due to increasing levels of drug resistance and unaffordable prices, many poor areas in Africa cannot access these drugs. Thus, researchers conducted trials in order to discover if there was an alternative route to treating malaria that would be both health and cost effective. They discovered the treatment of herbal antimalarials as well as plant based methods of insect repellent and vector control. The researchers:

• Sought evidence to determine how often herbal treatments are used to treat malaria, as well as what factors affected frequency
• Determined which plants are most commonly used
• Addressed the issue of clinical safety and efficacy of preparing these plants

Researchers concluded that an effective treatment for malaria is Artemisia annua, known in the United States as sweet Annie or annual wormwood. They also discovered that oil based capsules of Artemisia annua cleared parasites and fever quicker than chloroquine (an alternative treatment).

British Medical Journal November 13, 2004;329:1156-1159 (Free Full Text Medical Journal)

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Malaria, which dates back to 450 A.D., may have killed half of all the people who ever lived. And while malaria is not a major problem in the US, it certainly is in Africa. In fact, some 3,000 African children die of malaria EACH DAY. This is equivalent to one death every 30 seconds. In a previous newsletter, I noted that arginine might be an effective treatment for malaria. However, after reading the recent BMJ review, I see that herbs for malaria and oil based capsules of Artemisia annua are also helpful alternatives. This is exciting information if you travel to foreign countries, as the LAST thing you would want to do is take conventional drugs like Lariam (a dangerous traditional drugs for malaria) that is fraught with dangerous side effects. Lariam was first used for malaria prevention in 1985, and since then approximately 14.5 million people have been prescribed the drug for prevention versus 1.6 million for treatment. We have also known for over a decade that this drug can cause psychiatric problems. It's a terrible tragedy that our government is willing to sacrifice its own innocent civilians by failing to ignore the well-established clinical history of this potentially dangerous drug. Further, since I don't recommend taking drugs to treat malaria, another natural alternative is to consume FRESH garlic. It is important to remember that if you are not going to juice the garlic, you must compress it with a spoon prior to swallowing it. If you swallow the clove intact you will not convert the allicin to its active ingredient. Related Articles: U.S. Military Finally Looks Into Disaster Malaria Drug FDA Requires Direct Patient Warning of Anti-Malaria Drug Side Effects Lab Tests Find Garlic Potent Against Malaria and Cancer Mouthwash Ingredient May Fight Malaria Scientists Plan To Wipe Out Malaria With GM Mosquitoes