Sweet wormwood, although used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure malaria, was, up until the 1970s, thought of as just another Artemisia. After a lengthy analysis, it was discovered that sweet wormwood and its main component, artemisinin, had potent antimalarial properties and few adverse effects. Quickly becoming the standard treatment for severe malaria around the globe, artemisinin is still used to cure numerous cases of the sickness. Sweet wormwood was the subject of in-depth study in China in the 1980s. Research has shown that its primary active ingredient is a potent antimalarial, acting strongly against the malaria parasite Plasmodium, a protozoan transmitted by the mosquito. Clinical studies, particularly in Thailand, demonstrate that it can offer essential treatment for malaria in its acute stages, with up to 90 percent efficacy in preventing infection. The role of artemisinin in treating chronic malaria and preventing the disease is less important. According to laboratory tests, sweet wormwood promotes programmed cell death and inhibits the formation of blood vessels, showing solid anticancer properties. Although no clinical trials have been conducted, sweet wormwood is said to be especially effective in treating leukemia and breast cancer. As possible anticancer medications, synthetic molecules patterned after artemisinin are also being studied.