Artesunate is a fast‑acting antimalarial medicine widely used for the treatment of severe malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. It works by rapidly killing parasites in the blood, making it the first‑line therapy recommended by the World Health Organization for complicated malaria cases, including cerebral malaria. In addition, artesunate is also used in artemisinin‑based combination therapies (ACTs) for uncomplicated malaria, where it clears parasites quickly while the partner drug prevents relapse and resistance. Its effectiveness extends to other malaria species, though it must be paired with drugs like primaquine to eliminate dormant liver stages and prevent recurrence.