Tannins in Artemisia: the hidden treasure of prophylaxis

Proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins) are oligomeric and polymeric products of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway.They are present in the fruits, bark, leaves and seeds of many plants, wine and teas, and are increasingly recognized as having beneficial effects on human health.They have attracted little interest in malaria research because in vitro they show no significant antimalarial activity.Anthocyanins and pro-anthocyanidins are responsible for the beautiful color of leaves in autumn and for the colors of fruits.The major sources of proanthocyanidins in the American diet are apples (32%), chocolate (18%) and grapes (18%) There are not many data in the literature on the