1971–1972 (extraction and isolation) / East Asia
Artemisinin research advances through extraction and isolation
Tu Youyou’s team improved low-temperature extraction, obtained highly active antimalarial extracts and advanced early clinical observation and isolation of the active substance.
The story
In the Chinese Project 523, Tu’s team obtained an active neutral ether extract of qinghao in 1971. Early clinical observations and further isolation followed in 1972. Extracts, purified artemisinin, structure determination and later medicines were separate stages. Chemical, pharmacological and clinical collaboration across Chinese institutions was essential; the entire process cannot be compressed into one person’s discovery in a single year.
Connections and context
Traditional texts suggested research leads, tested through extraction, experiments and clinical evidence. Global antimalarial use required subsequent structural studies, drug development and public-health practice.
Dates and precision
1971–1972 (extraction and isolation) Ongoing process
The dates describe a span of activity; the timeline uses its starting point.
Representative map location
Beijing and a multi-institutional Chinese network
The marker represents Tu’s Beijing institution. Clinical and collaborative work also involved Hainan, Yunnan, Shandong, Shanghai and other sites.
Representative coordinates · 39.907°, 116.407°
A marker identifies one representative place, such as a manuscript collection, laboratory or observing site. It does not mean the work happened only there, or assign a shared discovery to one country.
Bibliography
- China’s Ministry of Science and Technology: Tu Youyou and artemisinin research
- 科技部：屠呦呦与青蒿提取的实验突破
- 北京大学医学部：屠呦呦研究访谈与青蒿素研发
References are listed as plain bibliography titles. They support particular facts or context; a reference does not certify every interpretation in a story.