Definition of "artemisinin" []

• An anti-malarial drug derived from the wormwood shrub, found as the active ingredient in traditional Chinese medical herbal treatment for malaria, chemically a sesquiterpene lactone (noun)

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• "Experts say it may only be a matter of time before the highly adaptable malaria parasite evolves to outsmart the compound artemisinin, which is currently the best – and last – line of defence against the disease."
• "At the same time, there are worrying signs that the malaria parasite in parts of Southeast Asia is becoming resistant to artemisinin, which is the mainstay of combination therapy for as many as 100 million patients world-wide."
• "The drug that is most effective at treating malaria is called artemisinin: it shocks the parasite out of your system and saves your life."