While the whole world is awaiting a vaccine against Covid-19, German scientists are studying the effects of a plant that might help in curing the disease. Artemisia, also known as sweet wormwood, is a self-seeded plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina's south.

According to Deutsche Welle, the study results give hope for further clinical research on the effects of this plant against Covid-19. Reportedly, artemisia's extracts have been tested and proved to have a strong anti-virus activity when combined with some other substances.

Petar Mihic, from the southern town of Ljubinje, does not seem to be surprised by this information. Although the plant is self-seeded, he has been growing sweet wormwood for years.

“When the mass growing of immortelle, which is also a medical plant, started in Herzegovina several years ago, I wanted to do something different. I read that wormwood was very appreciated in the Chinese tradition in curing the carcinogenic diseases, and I have been studying for years how to reach the best quality in the best conditions growing this specific plant. This is how my adventure of sweet wormwood's organic farming has started,” said Mihic.

Health professionals do not reject the idea of giving this plant a try.

“It is a habit of people who live in Herzegovina to search for a cure in the products of herbal origin that Herzegovina has in abundance. I know that people from these areas consumed the sweet wormwood tea and reported positive effects in all stages of Covid-19 infection,” said Andrea Juric, a medical practitioner.

Experienced immunologist, Jesenko Karamehic, agrees.

“Because sweet wormwood has an effect on malaria and anti-malarial medicines such as clorocin belong to the group of medicines that have certain specific and non-specific activity like remdesivir or some other anti-virus medicines against for instance AIDS, and COVID-19, too,” he explained.

According to him, the practice has proved that all medicines used against malaria have so far shown success in treating Covid-19.

“Let's be clear, it is not a specific medicine but is specific and non-specific, which means it has a certain effect,” he added.

As for the vaccine, this expert said the best of all will be the one with best effects and with least undesired consequences.

“And without the prefixes such as Russian, Chinese, American, British, Turkish… As far as I am concerned, and I have worked in all parts of the world, I put most of my hopes in the British vaccine from Oxford. That's a European vaccine, tested dominantly on Europeans, who geographically live ‘under the same roof’, in a very similar climate, and it would be the best for us,” said the expert.