Artemisia annua L

Artemisia and cancer
Discussion paper by Hans-Martin Hirt
September 2008
When I began work for my doctorate at the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg, Germany, I said I would like to study plants. But people laughed at me, saying that the plant kingdom had been already thoroughly explored. I was very disappointed, and so I took the only option open to me and I studied the immune system of our own bodies. So today I am extremely happy that studies are being undertaken into the effect of artemisinin on cancer, with a view to finding a cancer therapy without the horrendous side effects such as the hair loss that accompanies the use of the commonly used cytostatics (drugs that prevent the growth and proliferation of cells).
This could be very good news for the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical industry and cancer patients are united in their search for cytostatics that have fewer or even no side effects. They differ, however, because the pharmaceutical industry requires a product that can be patented and yields the biggest possible profit. The patient, on the other hand, would ideally like a medicine he can grow freely in his own garden.
In this respect, we believe that Artemisia annua is the perfect solution. An article appeared recently in the German newspaper “TAZ” about research into artemisinin that is being conducted at the Cancer Research Institute in Heidelberg. Almost every day since then I have received telephone calls, “My relative is suffering from the rare form of cancer “xy“, and is being treated with “yz“ medicines and well as so much radiation therapy. What do you think; could we give artemisia either alone or in addition?”
Quite honestly, I do not know either! No expert knows. According to Prof. James Duke, the leaves of Artemisia annua contain 20 constituents which have anti-tumour activity. Each of these components acts on a wide spectrum of types of tumour. In addition artemisia contains a further 225 constituents that could also have some influence.
Hundreds of PhD theses would be needed ... but where on earth is there still today a cancer clinic or a pharmaceutical university that can undertake research independently, free from the demands of the funders? It is a real scandal that today only industry and perhaps the super rich decide which of the world’s medicinal plants should be researched!
For example, an anamed collaborator, Florian Freier, won a prize for his work, conducted together with the University of Tübingen, which showed that, unlike normal cells, artemisinin increases the sensitivity of tumour cells to radiotherapy. From this one could deduce that, if artemisia tea were to be taken at the same time, the amount of radio therapy needed would be less. Is this to be researched further? Has any newspaper reported anything about this? Industry has no interest whatsoever!
Only one possibility remains: To make tests with oneself, whenever possible with the cooperation of a doctor who has not sold himself out to the pharmaceutical industry. So my request is, please write to anamed international and tell us what happened when you treated yourself with artemisia tea. Nothing? A little? A lot?
It is only if we receive such feedback that we can make any sort of informed judgement. I believe that, at the present time, over 100 tumour patients are taking our artemisia tea, but we receive very little feedback. It is important for us to know if the tea has helped, and if so, in what way. We also need to know if it has had no effect, or even if it has made things worse. According to our experience so far, one third of the patients receive no help from the tea, another third are helped a little and the last third give us remarkable feedback – many even say that they have actually been healed!
The best treatment is for the patient to take, for seven days, the high artemisia dosage, that is 5 grams of dried artemisia leaves per day as tea or, if this causes stomach ache, just as powder, for example mixed with yoghurt. If after seven days there has been no improvement, either by self judgement or by laboratory tests, then it makes no sense to continue with the tea. If on the other hand there has been even a slight improvement, the patient may continue with the full or a reduced dosage, depending upon the severity of the cancer and the patient’s ability to take the medicine.
Just as with malaria and AIDS, extensive research has been conducted into only one active ingredient, artemisinin. In this way the knowledge can be patented, and made into a commercial product. Although artemisinin has been patented for its use in treating tumours, it is still used astonishingly little in tumour therapy. Research tests conducted in vitro, in other words in a test tube, have shown that artemisinin is most effective in treating cell lines of leukaemia, cancer of the colon, and skin, breast, uterus, prostrate, brain and kidney cancers. You may find more literature in the internet about your particular form of cancer by typing in the appropriate keywords: e.g.: “Artemisinin lung cancer“ or “artemisia lung cancer“, etc.
The picture shows an artemisia plant being grown in a garden in Germany.
Whereas in Africa artemisia is used mainly to treat malaria and HIV/AIDS patients, in Europe artemisia is being used to treat bronchitis, stomach problems and cancer.
See our latest circular letter (July 2008) to read about a remarkable experience Markus Andres had with a tumour in his bladder, and about the successes in treating cancer in dogs of an animal clinic.