Scottish farmers could soon be growing a yellow-flowered scented weed which could save the lives of tens of thousands of people infected with malaria.
Scientists at East Malling Research in Kent yesterday said they are now able to extract double the strength of a special product produced by sweet wormwood – artemisia annua – to treat the mosquito-borne virus.
They hailed the breakthrough and other work which should allow the weed to be grown in colder climates such as those in Scotland.
The malaria-busting qualities of artemisinin, which is produced by the plant, have long been known.
The lack of a variety which can be commercially grown globally has however held back the production of an alternative to quinine, which has traditionally been used to treat malaria but which is becoming increasingly ineffective as the virus has developed a resistance to it.
There are thought to be more than 400million people in 109 countries infected with malaria.
The death toll is more than a million annually, with 80% of those dying based in Africa.
Artemisinin is found mainly in the hairy fern-like leaves, stem and clusters of flowers in the new growth of the sweet wormwood plant, which can grow as high as 6ft.
Ethiopia switched to using artemisinin products as its first line of defence against malaria five years ago.
The drug has proved to be 100% effective against malaria, compared with the 74% recorded by quinine.
The research undertaken at East Malling and at its various partners has used £900,000 of funding from farming ministry Defra to breed new sweet wormwood plants which have higher artemisinin levels and can be grown in colder climates.
Researchers have successfully grown plants on 494 acres in southern England.
New techniques to extract and purify artemisinin from plant material are being developed.
Research consortium chairman Colin Hill said: “The extraction levels are looking highly positive, achieving 80%-plus of pure artemisinin, which I do not believe has been achieved commercially before.
“We have demonstrated that, with the new breeding stock, parent plants and field trials, artemisia annua is capable of being an industrial pharmaceutical crop for production within the UK.
“We can really help meet the growing demand for artemisinin to tackle malaria, which blights the lives of so many people worldwide.”
Mr Hill said the techniques used in the research could help in the production of pharmaceutical and industrial crops. An additional £400,000 is needed to complete its work.