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Perceptions and Acceptability of Artemisia annua Herbal Tea for Malaria Treatment: A Qualitative Study in Kalima Health Zone, Maniema, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Preprints.org
DOI
10.20944/preprints202606.0078.v1

Background: Malaria remains a catastrophic public health crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In conflict-affected and isolated territories like the Maniema Province, access to Artemis-based Combination Therapies is restricted by a dual failure: chronic physical stockouts and a pervasive “lack of quality control” of substandard and falsified medications. This study investigated the social acceptability of Artemisia annua herbal tea as a strategy for a survival strategy under these systemic vulnerabilities in the Kalima Health Zone. Methods: This exploratory qualitative study used a socio-anthropological approach, structured around the Health Belief Model and the WHO Behavioral and Social Drivers framework. Purposive maximum variation sampling (N = 30) continued until thematic saturation was achieved. The cohort included healthcare providers, community end-users, and opinion leaders across five isolated health areas. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results: Findings revealed a profound epistemological friction between actors. Community end-users demonstrated high willingness to utilize the remedy, driven by its accessibility and a perceived three-day recovery timeline that bypassed the financial and quality barriers of the formal market. Conversely, healthcare providers expressed intense “posological anxieties” regarding the uncalibrated biomass used. Socio-behavioral practices were heavily mediated by socio-religious norms; while vital religious networks remain vital for validation, contemporary discourse is increasingly shaped by digital platforms that can propagate health misinformation. Consequently, a unanimous demand emerged for standardized pharmaceutical tablets to ensure clinical safety. Conclusion: This investigation does not validate clinical efficacy. It highlights that in resource-constrained conflict zones, structural barriers—including the threat of poor-quality synthetic drugs—override individual agency, transforming non-standardized phytotherapy into a tool of structural survival. Mitigating malaria mortality and resistance risks demands substantial state investment in the quality of formal supply chains and culturally grounded community engagement strategies.

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