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Herb library · Herb · Artemisia afra

African wormwood

An aromatic African shrub and one of South Africa's most used herbal remedies, taken as a tea for coughs, colds, flu and malaria. Lab tests show only weak activity, the two large trials of it were retracted, and WHO does not support any Artemisia plant material for malaria.

Traditional use

Widely used in South Africa for coughs, colds, influenza and malaria, and sold in pharmacies and online. South Africa's medicines regulator banned its sale for malaria in 2013 for lack of evidence that it works.

What studies show

No studies in people of this herb on its own yet. What is known of it comes from the traditions that use it.

  • Insufficient

    Malaria: laboratory and animal work shows only weak activity (1,000 to 10,000 times weaker than the comparison drugs). The two large clinical trials of Artemisia afra tea, for malaria and for schistosomiasis, were retracted by the journal in 2020, so there is no reliable trial evidence.

  • Insufficient

    Coughs, colds and other uses: no clinical trials in people.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • ConditionWHO does not support promoting or using Artemisia plant material in any form against malaria: the content varies, is often too low to clear the infection, and effective malaria medicines are available. Malaria needs prompt diagnosis and prescription medicine.
  • NoteIts safety has been controversial because its oil can be high in thujone. Thujone content varies a lot from place to place, and one study found it rose when the leaves were dried.
  • NoteA rodent study of the water extract found low toxicity at the doses tested; there are no safety studies in people.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, have liver disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“The whole of the Wormwood (Alsem.) has a strong, balmy smell, and a bitter, aromatic, but nauseous taste, owing to a green essential oil which it contains.”
L. Pappe, Floræ Capensis Medicæ Prodromus (1857), p. 23. See the page of Floræ Capensis Medicæ Prodromus, p. 23 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Floræ Capensis Medicæ Prodromus, p. 23

Sources

  1. The use of non-pharmaceutical forms of Artemisia (opens in a new tab) · WHO · read September 25, 2026
  2. Artemisia afra, a controversial herbal remedy or a treasure trove of new drugs? (J Ethnopharmacol, 2019) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. Retraction notice: Artemisia annua and Artemisia afra tea infusions vs. artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) in treating Plasmodium falciparum malaria (Phytomedicine, 2020) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  4. Retraction notice: Effect of Artemisia annua and Artemisia afra tea infusions on schistosomiasis in a large clinical trial (Phytomedicine, 2020) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  5. Compositional variation of the essential oils of Artemisia afra Jacq. from three provinces in South Africa - a case study of its safety (Nat Prod Commun, 2009) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  6. Acute and chronic toxicity of the aqueous extract of Artemisia afra in rodents (J Ethnopharmacol, 2007) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.