The production of secondary metabolites has been associated with increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are byproducts of aerobic metabolism, or with biotic (insect, pathogen attack, and herbivores) and abiotic (drought, extreme temperatures, nutrient deprivation, and others) stresses (29- 31). It has been hypothesized that ROS triggered by stress in artemisia are scavenged by dihydroartemisinic acid, which in turn is converted into artemisinin as a final, stable end product (32). In Africa, the main cultivated A. annua cultivars (Artemis and A-3) are provided by Swiss- (25) and German-based organizations, respectively, although some Nigerian growers are currently testing a cultivar (3M) from the University of Campinas, Brazil