The study revealed that the active plant component in the anemone plant has a role in the treatment of malaria, common in tropical and subtropical countries.
The anemone flower, its scientific name is "coronary anemone", and it is a beautiful wild flower. It was famous in the Arab folk heritage as it grew on the tomb of al-Nu'man ibn al-Mundhir, the most famous king of al-Hira in Iraq.
In 2020 alone, malaria infected 241 million people and killed about 627,000 worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
"Anemones" are classified in the buttercup family, and in some regions of Africa, tea made from the leaves of the buttercup plant, a member of the buttercup family, treats malaria.
The researchers tested the effectiveness of anemone leaves on mice after exposing them to the parasite "Plasmodium bergi" that causes malaria, and then some mice received the drug chloroquine, which is known to be effective in treating malaria.
Another group of mice received different doses of plant extracts.
For his part, Professor Peter Eming, from the University of Hull, Germany, who participated in the study, said, "The results were promising, although the plant extracts were not as effective as chloroquine, but they had a clear positive effect on the course of the disease."
For example, the mice lost significantly less weight, and their body temperature was also more stable than the untreated mice.”
The researchers found that anemonin, which is produced in anemones, was the reason behind the positive effect on mice infected with malaria.
Paradoxically, This compound is not produced inside anemones; But it is produced when a plant suffers an injury resulting from friction with another object, and the interior of its cells comes into contact with the air.
On the other hand, researchers examined the effectiveness of anemones on the parasites Leishmania (which causes a skin disease) and the widespread schistosomiasis, in another study recently published in the journal "Molecules." Preliminary laboratory tests showed promising results.
