Longitudinal trend of global artemisinin research in chemistry subject areas (1983–2017)

Abstract Artemisinin, the initial and main drug for malaria prevention and treatment internationally, was first extracted from the plant Artemisia annua L. by Chinese scientists in 1972. Research on artemisinin in chemistry subject areas shows a rapid growth since the 1980s. To evaluate the evolutionary trends and draw the knowledge map of artemisinin research, 1316 relevant publications are analysed based on bibliometrics. The global research status, emerging trends and future directions are also visualised and discussed. Furthermore, a historical overview of chemical synthesis on artemisinin is illustrated via timeline in terms of industrialisation. Overall, this study provides a novel method to visualise further information about artemisinin research and a comprehensive perspective to understand the longitudinal trend over the last 30 years.