Dr Pete's Health Secrets

    In sub-sahara Africa, malaria is a killer disease in pregnant  women and responsible for a large percentage of the deaths in pregnancy. Chloroquine was originally the drug of choice for the treatment of malaria during pregnancy decades ago. It is nolonger prescribed because of resistance to the drug by the malaria parasite. The WHO has shown that Artemisinin is less resistant to malaria unlike old chloroquine. It therefore wants all countries with proven malaria resistance to switch to Artemisinin-based ACT. Artemisinin is derived from  Artemisia annua L. (A. annua), commonly called annual wormwood, and belonging to the family Asteraceae, is a medicinal plant native to temperate Asia esppecially China but has presently naturalized throughout the world.  It has been recently introduced for commercial cultivation in Nigeria.  The plant has been scientifically revealed to contain a rich portfolio of bioactive compounds including polyphenols and exhibits a wide range of pharmacol