Results—Compared to unencapsulated digested dried leaves, addition of sucrose, various
cooking oils, and rice did not reduce the amount of artemisinin released in the intestinal liquid
fraction, but the amount of released flavonoids nearly doubled. When dried leaves were
encapsulated into either hydroxymethylcellulose or gelatin capsules, there was >50% decrease in
released artemisinin but no change in released flavonoids. In the presence of millet or corn meal,
the amount of released artemisinin declined, but there was no change in released flavonoids. Use
of a mutant A. annualacking artemisinin showed that the plant matrix is critical in determining
how artemisinin is affected during the digestion process.