Growing Sweet Wormwood from Seeds, Days 0-50

Artemisia annua is an annual herb known by the names sweet Annie, sweet wormwood, sweet sagewort, annual mugwort, annual wormwood, and qinghao (青蒿) in Chinese. It has its origins in temperate Asia but has been introduced to many places in the world. Due to duplication in ancient traditional Chinese medicine scriptures, Artemisia annua is more commonly referred to as qinghao, the modern Chinese name for Artemisia carvifolia, as opposed to its current Chinese name huanghuahao (黄花蒿). It has been used for at least 1,400 years in China to treat a variety of illnesses, mostly fevers, but was recently found to be effective against human parasites including malarial parasites. Tu Youyou, a Chinese scientist, was awarded half of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Medicine for her discovery of the anti-malarial compound artemisinin in sweet Annie. Treatments containing an artemisinin derivative (artemisinin-combination therapies, ACTs) are now standard treatment worldwide for P. falciparum malaria.

A serendipitous discovery was made in China while searching for novel anthelmintics for schistosomiasis that artemisinin was effective against human blood flukes, which are the second most prevalent parasitic infections after malaria. Artemisinin and its derivatives are all potent anthelmintics. Artemisinins were later found to possess a broad spectrum of activity against a wide range of trematodes. Clinical trials were also successfully conducted in Africa among patients with schistosomiasis.

I have read of many uses for sweet Annie, including ornamental wreath use and as an air freshener with a “fragrance that lasts 100 years.” It is claimed by some to cure digestive tract ailments and cancer as well. People also claim this has effectiveness against diarrhea, indigestion, and certain bacterial diseases. It can also function as a deerproof hedge plant. As with many herbs the claimed uses go well beyond what has been proved by science, so I do not know how many of these claims outside of the anti-parasite benefits are true, or to what degree. What you have read here is a collation of claims and history from multiple sources, some of which are not scientific in nature.

China and Vietnam provide 70% and East Africa 20% of the raw plant material to produce artemisinin. Seedlings are grown in nurseries and then transplanted into fields. It takes about 8 months for them to reach full size. The plants are harvested, the leaves are dried and sent to facilities where the artemisinin is extracted using solvent, typically hexane. The market price for artemisinin has fluctuated widely, between $120 and $1200 per kilogram from 2005 to 2008 due to boom-and-bust cycles, a modern gold rush in essence.

Sweet Annie seeds are tiny and hard to see but easy to germinate. A variety of germination methods should work for this annual herb. This was my methodology:

1. Steam-sterilize potting mix for 1 hour on the highest heat setting for a hot plate or coils with lots of water in the pot. Use a lid. See my sterilization video for the complete process.

2. Put a suitable amount of this steamed soil (cooled down of course) in a zipper bag or container and mix in your tiny seeds thoroughly by hand to ensure that some are at the top and will sprout on the top. Add some water to ensure that the soil is soaked but not with standing water pooled at the bottom.

3. Seal the bag or container and place on an electric heat mat during winter. This is dependent on climate. If it’s warm or hot it’s probably not necessary. Mine were germinated at 20-30 Celsius, or 68-86 Fahrenheit, during February in San Diego County, California, USA within 20+ days. The seeds should be incubated in a spot that receives sunlight.

4. Transplant your seedlings to a pot or the ground. Use steam-sterilized soil if in a pot to prevent plant parasites from taking ahold. Keep your incubator bag or container for backup.

5. Water from the top every 2 days, but not deep into the pot, as the roots are still tiny in the early days.

Видео Growing Sweet Wormwood from Seeds, Days 0-50 канала Melvin Wei