Artemisia annua, annual mugwort, is a plant that has gained increasing popularity in recent years. Rightly so, as it's an impressive plant with a whole range of extraordinary uses.
However, as awareness grew, so did the selection of Artemisia annua products on the market. The problem is that not all of them are high-quality. Quite the opposite – many of the products on offer contain few valuable ingredients and are grown and processed under questionable conditions.
But what should you look for when purchasing Artemisia annua? How do you know whether you're dealing with pure, premium products? You'll learn all about it in this article.
Contents:
Sustainable, natural cultivation from Germany
The first thing you should consider when purchasing Artemisia annua is the growing conditions and the country of origin. This is because the quality standards for Artemisia annua cultivation vary greatly from country to country. In many countries, the soil is heavily contaminated, and harmful fertilizers and pesticides are used in the cultivation of the plants. Especially in dictatorial countries, farmers are often prohibited from testing the soil for contaminants before cultivation. Contaminated soil leads to a contaminated end product and can significantly compromise its quality and safety.
For this reason, we recommend that you choose regional , natural products from Germany. This also has the advantage that the plants travel a shorter distance, which in turn benefits the environment.
With us, you can be sure: Our Artemisia annua products are free of any pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants. We have this regularly tested by an independent laboratory to guarantee you pure, uncontaminated quality at all times. You can learn more about the growing conditions and processing of our Artemisia annua plants here .
Pure leaf cutting without flowers & stems
Also, make sure that the Artemisia annua consists of pure leaf cuttings (or leaf powder). This is because only the leaves of the Artemisia annua plant contain a high concentration of compounds, including the valuable artemisinin. Other parts of the plant, on the other hand, have few to no compounds and are therefore worthless. Unfortunately, many commercially available Artemisia annua products contain up to 80% ineffective stems and branches to "stretch" the final product and thus ensure higher profits for the retailers.
Whether leaf powder or leaf cuts, we always make sure to process only pure leaves into our final products. This is the only way we can guarantee a high content of nutrients and the vibrant green color, which we'll discuss in more detail in the next section.
Green color
Another important indicator of impeccable Artemisia annua quality is an intense, bright green color. Only under optimal light and water conditions do the leaves achieve their rich color and full nutritional content. The greener and more intense the color, the more valuable nutrients the leaves contain. Brownish or yellowish leaves are usually a sign that the plant has received too few nutrients, and thus the nutritional content is also lower.
Dirt, such as soil or parts of other plants, can also distort the vibrant green color – but this is almost unavoidable with mechanical harvesting. That's why we at teemana continue to rely on traditional hand-harvesting. We also still sort out unwanted stems and leaves by hand. This is the only way we can ensure that only pure, vibrant green leaves make it into the final product.
Aromatic scent
Reasonable price
Quality comes at a price – and the plant world is no exception. Ensuring Artemisia annua products meet the stated quality standards involves a great deal of labor. Processes such as sowing, care, harvesting, and drying, as well as sorting out unwanted stems and leaves, are still done by hand. This, of course, costs a lot of time and money, because we always pay our employees fairly.
By comparison, a field worker in Germany earns about 100 times as much as a picker in Northeast India. For the price we pay our German farmers for 1 kilo of A-3 production, we would get 150 kilos of (brown) A-2 (wild) produce from Asia.
Conversely, this means that goods that are too cheap cannot possibly meet the same standards that we set for our products.
Light- and airtight packaging
To preserve the valuable ingredients of Artemisia annua, shipping in air- and light-protected packaging is crucial. This is because as soon as the dried leaves come into contact with air, oxygen molecules can react with the sensitive compounds and degrade them. The same applies to light – UV radiation in particular can cause valuable ingredients to be lost. Furthermore, airtight packaging prevents contact with moisture and thus the growth of mold and other harmful bacteria.
This applies not only to shipping, but also to storage. Once the leaves are completely dry, they should be stored in a dark, dry, and light-protected location . For this reason, our plants are immediately packaged in small, airtight bags after drying, which are then stored in large, dark barrels. Once you click the "Order" button in our online shop, we take the desired bag directly from the light-protected barrel and place it in a brown, light-protected shipping box.
transparency
In order for you to make a safe, informed purchasing decision, full transparency from the company is essential.
Where and how is Artemisia annua grown?
What quality controls are there?
What are the company’s values?
Under what conditions do the employees, harvest workers and small farmers work?
Before purchasing Artemisia annua from a potential supplier, get a clear, comprehensive picture of them. Only with this information can you realistically assess the quality and safety of the Artemisia annua.
Customer feedback
Customer feedback provides you with direct insight into the experiences of other buyers. They help you better assess the quality of the Artemisia annua product and gain a realistic impression.
So, when purchasing Artemisia annua, pay attention to reviews from other buyers: What experiences have they had with the product? How trustworthy and reputable is the manufacturer? This information will help you find a trustworthy supplier.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a few things to consider when purchasing Artemisia annua products. Unfortunately, as Artemisia annua's popularity grows, we're finding more and more products on the market whose quality standards are seriously flawed.
We would therefore like to take this opportunity to invite you to discover the Artemisia annua products from our range. Convince yourself of the power and purity of our products and experience the amazing benefits of a truly premium product.
What does “teemana quality” mean
It is important to us that our customers have confidence in our products – especially because we consider them partners in our work!
