Sign in Subscribe
Latest issue
Share

GregoryAi found a drug for progressive Multiple Sclerosis

I am a patient, not a doctor or researcher, and I may be wrong. But after months of trying to be heard, I don't have any other way to raise my voice.

GregoryAi found a drug for progressive Multiple Sclerosis

For the past year, I have been taking Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on my own and tracking every symptom and every change. It's an old Malaria drug, and research points towards its effect in calming down the attack on the brain in animal models of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I discovered this from my routine of curating the Brain Regeneration Observatory.

That site is powered by GregoryAi. Gregory gets all the new science papers and ranks them based on what's relevant for a given subject. I review every article that scores more than 80% in relevance for MS patients. That's how I found a paper stating that "Dihydroartemisinin enhances remyelination". From there I kept researching and gathering evidence, and eventually prepared my own capsules.

This is my only hope to slow the progression of my disability, because there isn't a protocol for my diagnoses, and I am not taking any other disease modifying treatment due to have gone through the autologous bone marrow transplant. And I did notice improvements after starting DHA. I can stand up longer than I could in 2025, and my balance improved. This shows up in the charts from my Apple Watch and from the journals I write with dosages and any meaningful observations.

From January to September 2025, before DHA, I stood between 16 and 31 minutes a day and walked between about 570 and 840 steps. Both measures sat below the two-year average for most of that period. I started DHA on 11 October 2025. Standing time then climbed from 21 minutes in October to 41 in December and peaked at 58 minutes in February 2026. Steps followed the same path, rising from about 630 to just over 1,000 a day. I stopped DHA on 22 March because of low lymphocytes. Standing time dropped to between 33 and 44 minutes through June, and steps stayed between 850 and 950. After I restarted on 21 June, standing time ranged from 29 to 38 minutes and steps from about 750 to 790. October 2026 fell to 31 minutes and about 590 steps. The chart also shades a short pause from 6 to 14 November 2025 and a second stretch off DHA from mid-December to January.
The top panel shows my average daily DHA dose for each month, with days off counted as zero, against my average standing minutes per day. I took no DHA from January to September 2025, when I stood between 16 and 31 minutes a day. I started in October 2025 at an average of 171 mg a day and went up to 193 mg in November. December dropped to 65 mg. Over those three months my standing time rose from 21 to 41 minutes. In 2026 the dose went from 57 mg in January to 178 mg in February, and February was also my best month for standing, at 58 minutes. March averaged 135 mg. I took nothing in April or May, yet standing time held at 38 and 44 minutes. When I restarted, the dose built up from 34 mg in June to 84, 120 and 131 mg from July to September, reaching 168 mg in October. Over the same June-to-October stretch, standing time stayed between 29 and 38 minutes. Every month of 2026 so far has more standing time than the same month in 2025. The bottom panel splits each 2026 month’s dose by time of day. February and March had morning and evening doses, though most of February is logged as a total with no times. June and July went back to morning and evening. In August I added an afternoon dose and switched the evening dose to a night dose from 4 August. Night doses then took over, and in October I took everything at night.

I have been trying to do things by the book. My doctors are aware of my experiment and I shared my research dossier with the MS Center in Lisbon. And I have been refraining for addressing patients about my findings to avoid leading someone towards a dangerous path. Instead, I have been reaching out to researchers and trying to coordinate their labs, the Portuguese MS Society, and others who work around MS. All of this is proving to be difficult and frustrating with only a few people replying to my emails.

Now I am writing this blog post because I'm left with no choice. I don't have the authority to claim this is a path for a new medicine and I don't want anyone to take the same risks I am taking. But I have not been able to reach the people who have that authority. The ones who chose to work in this field.

I have asked for help from doctors and researchers, friends and strangers, journalists and anyone else remotely linked to the subject. The ones who want to help the most are the ones who can't. Most don't even reply. I am lost right now. And tired, and frustrated.

The best results I got from this Hail-Mary came from very high doses that lowered my lymphocyte counts and made me pause and see my little gains fade away. I keep an eye on new research and keep finding clues that say I am on the right path. Another study administered DHA intranasally and saw some results for Alzheimer's Disease, so it is at least a feasible route for MS.

Another lab in Canada developed an improved method to turn stem cells into oligodendrocytes, and a US/Japan lab developed a molecule to trigger neuro regeneration. Both of these could be paired with the DHA drug to help people with MS. Maybe I could even walk again one day.

But so what? I feel I have travelled as far as I could and I don't have the resources or energy to push forward any more.

Instead, I have been taking DHA at night, with a glass of water and a prayer to Asclepius, hoping that he reads his emails.

References

  1. A Nontprasert, M Nosten-Bertrand, S Pukrittayakamee, S Vanijanonta, BJ Angus, NJ White. Assessment of the neurotoxicity of parenteral artemisinin derivatives in mice. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1998;59(4):519-522. doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.1998.59.519
  2. A Nontprasert, S Pukrittayakamee, S Prakongpan, W Supanaranond, S Looareesuwan, NJ White. Assessment of the neurotoxicity of oral dihydroartemisinin in mice. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2002;96(1):99-101. doi.org/10.1016/S0035-9203(02)90256-7
  3. W Yao, F Wang, H Wang. Immunomodulation of artemisinin and its derivatives. Science Bulletin. 2016;61(18):1399-1406. doi.org/10.1007/s11434-016-1105-z
  4. MR Khakzad, A Ganji, V Ariabod, I Farahani. Artemisinin therapeutic efficacy in the experimental model of multiple sclerosis. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2017;39(6):348-353. doi.org/10.1080/08923973.2017.1379087
  5. Q Ran, Q Li, L Liu, L Sun, Q Yang, Y Li, et al. Dihydroartemisinin exerts multiple effects in ameliorating CNS inflammation by enhancing AXL signaling in microglia from mouse model of multiple sclerosis. Preprint, Research Square. 2020. doi.org/10.21203/rs.2.23348/v1
  6. Y Gao, M Cui, S Zhong, C Feng, AK Nwobodo, B Chen, et al. Dihydroartemisinin ameliorates LPS-induced neuroinflammation by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway. Metab Brain Dis. 2020;35(4):661-672. doi.org/10.1007/s11011-020-00533-2
  7. J Lv, W Zhuang, Y Zhang, L Xie, Z Xiang, Q Zhao, et al. 9,10-Anhydrodehydroartemisinin Attenuates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis by Inhibiting Th1 and Th17 Cell Differentiation. Inflammation. 2021;44(5):1793-1802. doi.org/10.1007/s10753-021-01456-5
  8. DU Changsheng, Jie Lv, Wei Zhuang, Ling Xie. Application of 9,10-dehydrodihydroartemisinin as a medicine for the prevention and treatment of multiple sclerosis. Patent CN112315956A. Tongji University; filed 2020 Nov 29; published 2021 Feb 5. CN112315956A on Google Patents Application withdrawn 2022 Apr 5.
  9. F Qiu, J Liu, X Mo, H Liu, Y Chen, Z Dai. Immunoregulation by Artemisinin and Its Derivatives: A New Role for Old Antimalarial Drugs. Frontiers in Immunology. 2021;12:751772. doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.751772
  10. G Liu, X Jiang, M Han, J Lv, W Zhuang, L Xie, et al. Artemisinin derivative TPN10466 suppresses immune cell migration and Th1/Th17 differentiation to ameliorate disease severity in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Cellular Immunology. 2022;373:104500. doi.org/10.1016/j.cellimm.2022.104500
  11. Y Zhang, J Lv, S Zhang, H Yang, J Shen, C Du, et al. Synthesis and biological evaluation of Artemisinin derivatives as potential MS agents. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2022;64:128682. doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2022.128682
  12. Q Chen, Z Wang, J Lv, L Liu, H Li, W Sun, et al. Efficacy and safety of artesunate for patients with IgA nephropathy: a study protocol for a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Trials. 2022;23(1):444. doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06336-3
  13. X Tong, L Chen, SJ He, JP Zuo. Artemisinin derivative SM934 in the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases: therapeutic effects and molecular mechanisms. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2022;43(12):3055-3061. doi.org/10.1038/s41401-022-00978-4
  14. I Bouzon-Arnaiz, Y Avalos-Padilla, A Biosca, O Cano-Prades, L Roman-Alamo, J Valle, et al. The protein aggregation inhibitor YAT2150 has potent antimalarial activity in Plasmodium falciparum in vitro cultures. BMC Biology. 2022;20(1):197. doi.org/10.1186/s12915-022-01374-4
  15. R Arthur, U Navik, P Kumar. Repurposing artemisinins as neuroprotective agents: a focus on the PI3k/Akt signalling pathway. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol. 2023;396(4):593-605. doi.org/10.1007/s00210-022-02350-z
  16. N Salehi, M Nourbakhsh, S Noori, H Rezaeizadeh, A Zarghi. Tehranolid and Artemisinin Effects on Ameliorating Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis by Modulating Inflammation and Remyelination. Mol Neurobiol. 2023;60(10):5975-5986. doi.org/10.1007/s12035-023-03449-x
  17. L Xie, J Lv, K Saimaier, S Han, M Han, C Wang, et al. The novel small molecule TPN10518 alleviates EAE pathogenesis by inhibiting AP1 to depress Th1/Th17 cell differentiation. Int Immunopharmacol. 2023;123:110787. doi.org/10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110787
  18. X Gao, X Lin, Q Wang, J Chen. Artemisinins: Promising drug candidates for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Med Res Rev. 2024;44(2):867-891. doi.org/10.1002/med.22001
  19. JH Liao, Q He, ZW Huang, XB Yu, JY Yang, Y Zhang, et al. Network pharmacology-based strategy to investigate the mechanisms of artemisinin in treating primary Sjögren's syndrome. BMC Immunology. 2024;25(1):16. doi.org/10.1186/s12865-024-00605-3
  20. C Wang, X Jiang, J Lv, W Zhuang, L Xie, G Liu, et al. TPN10475 Constrains Effector T Lymphocytes Activation and Attenuates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Pathogenesis by Facilitating TGF-β Signal Transduction. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2024;19(1):6. doi.org/10.1007/s11481-024-10109-x
  21. J Liu, Y Huang, T Qian, J Chen, Y Ding, Z Lai, et al. Exploring the neuroprotective role of artesunate in mouse models of anti-NMDAR encephalitis: insights from molecular mechanisms and transmission electron microscopy. Cell Commun Signal. 2024;22(1):269. doi.org/10.1186/s12964-024-01652-4
  22. C La, M Li, Z Wang, T Liu, Q Zeng, P Sun, et al. Isolation and anti-neuroinflammation activity of sesquiterpenoids from Artemisia argyi: computational simulation and experimental verification. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024;24(1):264. doi.org/10.1186/s12906-024-04578-z
  23. DU Changsheng, Sanxing Han. Application of artemisinin derivatives TPN10467 and TPN10476 as drugs for preventing and treating autoimmune diseases. Patent CN119139291A. Tongji University; published 2024 Dec 17. CN119139291A on Google Patents
  24. J Wang, D Zhu, H Cui, Y Xu, S Shang, Y Miao, et al. Molecular mechanism of culinary herb Artemisia argyi in promoting lifespan and stress tolerance. npj Science of Food. 2024;8(1):111. doi.org/10.1038/s41538-024-00358-8
  25. DU Changsheng, Kaidireya Saimaier, Jie Lv. Artemisinin derivative and its application in drugs for treating multiple sclerosis. Patent CN119823143A. Tongji University; filed 2025 Jan 13; published 2025 Apr 15. CN119823143A on Google Patents Pending; request for substantive examination in force 2025 May 2.
  26. Y Jian, P Yue, H Qiao. 28-Day Repeated Dose Toxicity and Toxicokinetics Study on Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in SD Rats. J Appl Toxicol. 2025;45(5):755-766. doi.org/10.1002/jat.4738
  27. HH Alhassan, M Surti, M Adnan, M Patel. Elucidation of Artemisinin as a Potent GSK3β Inhibitor for Neurodegenerative Disorders via Machine Learning-Driven QSAR and Virtual Screening of Natural Compounds. Pharmaceuticals. 2025;18(6):826. doi.org/10.3390/ph18060826
  28. Author list unavailable. Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges in Lyme Disease and Co-Infections: Unraveling Neuropsychiatric and Neurological Complexities — A Comprehensive Case Series Analysis. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2025. (full citation unavailable — no Crossref record on file)
  29. Y Zhao, S Mei, S Yao, S Cai, P Zhang, H Lou, et al. IL-17-Related Pathways and Myeloid Cell Function are Involved in the Mechanism of Sublingual Immunotherapy with Artemisia annua for Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2025;68(1):53. doi.org/10.1007/s12016-025-09067-w
  30. Y Wei, L Li, T Fu, T Gao, L Ma, W Zuo, et al. Immunological Tolerance Induced by Nanoliposome with Autoantigenic Peptide and Artesunate to Inhibit Complement and Remodel Immune Balance for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment. Adv Healthc Mater. 2025;14(24):2403774. doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202403774
  31. L Liu, L Yang, X Du, X Kan, Q Ran, Y Zhang, et al. Dihydroartemisinin enhances remyelination by switching microglia to the reparative phenotype. J Neuroinflammation. 2025;22(1):197. doi.org/10.1186/s12974-025-03510-7
  32. M Zhou, B Wu. Chinese Medicine in Regulating Immune Balance for the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases. Am J Chin Med. 2025;53(6):1615-1640. doi.org/10.1142/S0192415X25500612
  33. D Shen, S Fan, W Kong, H Yuan, X Wei, K Zheng, et al. Research progress on the interaction of artemisinin and its derivatives with TLR4 receptors in neuroinflammation. Int Immunopharmacol. 2025;164:115402. doi.org/10.1016/j.intimp.2025.115402
  34. G Singh, V Sharma, BN Udeh. Medicinal Plants and Lead Phytomolecules as Immunomodulators: An Updated Review. BioMed Res Int. 2026;2026(1):6998034. doi.org/10.1155/bmri/6998034
  35. AM Mustafa, M Mudhafar, AM Elgindy, MM Esmail, AM Atwa, AM Shaheen, et al. Artemisinin attenuates 3-nitropropionic acid-induced neurodegeneration via HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB modulation in a rat model of huntington's disease. Arch Pharm Res. 2026;49(3):375-392. doi.org/10.1007/s12272-026-01604-1
  36. T Mishra, Z Usmani, Z Usmani, S Ahmad, K Mariya, S Amin, et al. Development and Validation of High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography Densitometric Method for the Simultaneous Estimation of Santonin and Thujones in Artemisia absinthium Linn.. Chromatographia. 2026;89(5):493-506. doi.org/10.1007/s10337-026-04489-w
  37. J Fan, H Song, C Zhao, X Wang, Q Zhao, X Wang, et al. Evolution of IgE sensitization profiles to Artemisia pollen allergens in the allergic pediatric population. World Allergy Organ J. 2026;19(5):101391. doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2026.101391
  38. Z Yao, D Wang, Y Zhang, P Xin, Y Liu, Y Li, et al. Induction of regulatory T cells by an aluminum-CpG combination adjuvant for therapeutic and preventive vaccination against pollen allergy. J Control Release. 2026;395:114998. doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2026.114998
  39. Y Jin, X Zhang, S Han, S Yin, H Che. Artemisia sieversiana protein can induce allergic rhinitis and subsequent immune tolerance establishment. Int J Biol Macromol. 2026;366:152460. doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.152460
  40. Y Zhang, Q Ran, J Han, L Liu, X Du, J Wu, et al. Dihydroartemisinin ameliorates inflammation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by enhancing AXL signaling in microglia. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2026;51(10):2825-2835. doi.org/10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20260206.702
  41. S Lorestani, SM Ganji, S Noori. Tehranolide Attenuates Lipid Accumulation in Steatotic HepG2 Cells via cAMP/AMPK/SIRT1-Mediated Autophagy Activation. Iran J Pharm Res. 2026;24(1). doi.org/10.5812/ijpr-168037
  42. Y Gao, X Wang, J Xue, X Wang, H Zhang, S Wen, et al. Artemisia annua Sublingual Immunotherapy Is Efficacious and Well Tolerated in Patients With Season Allergic Rhinitis: A Prospective, Open-Label, Multicenter Phase IV Trial. Allergy. 2026;70462. doi.org/10.1111/all.70462
  43. China Drug Trials Registry. CTR20171440: Evaluating the efficacy, PK characteristics, and safety of Dihydroartemisinin in SLE patients. Sponsor: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (Kunming Pharmaceutical Corp). First subject enrolled 2018-10-23 · completed 2022-01-13. Cross-registered as NCT03396393 on ClinicalTrials.gov.
  44. China Drug Trials Registry. CTR20253338: Evaluating the efficacy and safety of Dihydroartemisinin in patients with discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). Sponsor: Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (Kunming Pharmaceutical Corp). First public disclosure 2025-08-25 · not yet recruiting. Cross-registered as NCT07557927 on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Subscribe to Bruno Amaral

Sign up now to get access to the library of members-only issues.
jamie@example.com
Subscribe