"Artemisinin is a small step in the process of human conquering malaria, and it is also a gift of traditional Chinese medicine to mankind." Tu Youyou, lifelong researcher of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, winner of the National Highest Science and Technology Award, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, said.


The discovery of artemisinin has brought a new antimalarial drug to the world. Today, artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT) is the best treatment for malaria recommended by the World Health Organization, saving millions of lives worldwide.


On October 5, 2015, Caroline Medical College of Sweden announced that the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine would be awarded to Tu Youyou and two other scientists in recognition of their achievements in the treatment of parasitic diseases. This is the highest award that the Chinese medical community has won so far, and it is also the highest award that the achievements of traditional Chinese medicine have won.


In the 1960s, Tu Youyou accepted the arduous antimalarial research task of the "523" office of the national malaria control research project when chloroquine failed to fight malaria and human beings suffered from malaria. In 1969, Tu Youyou, who worked as an intern researcher in the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the Ministry of Health, became the leader of the antimalarial research group of traditional Chinese medicine. Through sorting out the ancient books of Chinese medicine and visiting famous Chinese doctors, we compiled a collection of more than 640 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines for malaria.


"Grasp the Artemisia annua, soak it with two liters of water, wring the juice, and take it." In the case that the experimental efficacy of Artemisia annua extract was not stable, it was precisely this sentence from the record of Artemisia annua intercepting malaria in the "Emergency Prescription for Elbow Reserve" by Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which gave Tu Youyou a new research idea. The antimalarial component of Artemisia annua was enriched by using the extraction method of low boiling point solvent. Tu Youyou's team finally discovered artemisinin in 1972.


"The success of artemisinin research was the result of the research team's collective tackling of key problems that year." Tu Youyou said that Chinese medicine is a great treasure house from which artemisinin was excavated. Chinese medicine and western medicine have their own advantages. They are organically combined and complement each other, which should have greater development potential and prospects.


"Science should seek truth from facts." This is Tu Youyou's insistence. She said frankly that at present, the efficacy of artemisinin against malaria is relatively objective, but the deep mechanism of artemisinin against malaria needs to be further studied.


"Only by mastering the antimalarial mechanism of artemisinin can we give full play to its efficacy and apply it more rationally." Tu Youyou said, "The more honor we have, the more responsibility we have. We still have a long way to go."