"As a scientific research worker, it is a great honor to win the Nobel Prize. This is the pride of China and the pride of the Chinese scientific community." In December 2015, Chinese native scientists appeared on the Swedish Nobel Laureates' podium, Tu Youyou, the chief lifelong researcher of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, became the first Nobel Prize winner in physiology or medicine in China.

Malaria was once one of the biggest killers threatening human health. In the 1960s, more than 200 million malaria patients around the world were faced with a situation of no cure due to the resistance of malaria parasites to quinine drugs, and the mortality rate rose sharply. Finding effective antimalarial drugs has become a difficult problem for all countries in the world.

"Grasp the Artemisia annua, soak it with two liters of water, wring the juice, and serve it all." Tu Youyou's former Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine received a research and development task of "Chinese herbal medicine anti malaria", code name "523". Tu Youyou got inspiration from the ancient books of traditional Chinese medicine. By improving the extraction method, he first found that the extract of Artemisia annua could effectively inhibit malaria parasites, and named the substance Artemisinin.

The discovery of artemisinin has brought a new antimalarial drug with a new structure to mankind. The artemisinin based combination therapy is still the malaria treatment recommended by the World Health Organization, saving millions of lives worldwide. Jiang Tingliang, chief researcher of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine and chairman of the Academic Committee of Artemisinin Research Center, said that Tu Youyou's contribution lies in her original thinking.

The success of artemisinin research was the result of the research team's collective tackling of key problems that year. Tu Youyou said: "The success of a scientific research project will not be easy and requires hard work." Her research has never stopped, and artemisinin has been "declassified". In 1992, she invented dihydroartemisinin, an "upgraded version" with an antimalarial effect 10 times that of artemisinin, in view of its high recurrence rate and poor water solubility. After in-depth research, Tu Youyou's team found the unique effect of this substance against lupus erythematosus, which has now entered the phase II clinical trial. Liao Fulong, deputy director of the Academic Committee of Artemisinin Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that what Tu Youyou identified must be done for a lifetime, and "Chinese Artemisia" will change the world.

"Artemisinin is a gift from traditional Chinese medicine to the people of the world." Tu Youyou said that winning the Nobel Prize is the glory of Chinese science and TCM science. Traditional Chinese medicine is a great treasure house, which should play a greater role to benefit human health.

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