Qinghao
/tɕʰiŋ˥ xɑʊ˥/noun
A Chinese medicinal herb, Artemisia annua, commonly known in English as sweet wormwood.
Did you know?A fourth-century Chinese medical text recommended extracting qinghao by soaking it in cool water, a detail that helped inspire Tu Youyou’s successful use of low-temperature extraction for artemisinin.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
青蒿
“A plant name combining 青, “green” or “blue-green,” with 蒿, a species of wormwood or mugwort.”
4th Century CE
Chinese
青蒿 (qīnghāo)
“Recorded as a medicinal herb in Ge Hong’s Emergency Prescriptions Kept Up One’s Sleeve, where it was used in treating intermittent fevers.”
Medieval Chinese
Chinese
青蒿
“Continued in Chinese medical literature as the herb now identified botanically as Artemisia annua, sweet wormwood.”
1970s
English
qinghao
“A transliterated Chinese name adopted in English-language medical and scientific writing during research into its antimalarial compounds.”
Modern English
English
qinghao
“The Chinese herb Artemisia annua, especially discussed as the natural source of artemisinin.”