What Is Kedi Qinghao Capsule Used For?
Kedi Qinghao Capsule is an artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) used to treat uncomplicated malaria, including malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum and multi-drug resistant strains. Each capsule contains Dihydroartemisinin 40mg and Piperaquine phosphate 320mg. It should be taken after a confirmed malaria test, following the directions of a doctor or pharmacist.
Malaria is one of the most common reasons Nigerian adults lose working days and children miss school, and most cases are uncomplicated — meaning the person can still swallow tablets, is not confused or convulsing, and is not showing signs of organ involvement. Oral artemisinin combination medicines like this one are intended for that situation.
When Qinghao Capsule Is Not the Right Treatment
Do not use this or any oral antimalarial to treat severe malaria at home. Severe malaria is a medical emergency requiring injectable treatment in hospital. Go to a hospital immediately, rather than taking this medicine, if you or the person you are treating has any of the following:
- Confusion, drowsiness, unusual behaviour or loss of consciousness
- Convulsions or fits
- Difficulty breathing or very rapid breathing
- Repeated vomiting or inability to keep fluids or medicine down
- Yellowing of the eyes or skin, or very dark urine
- Passing little or no urine
- Unusual bleeding, or extreme weakness and inability to sit or stand
- Malaria in a pregnant woman, an infant, or a young child who appears unwell
Testing before treatment matters for the same reason. Fever in Nigeria is not always malaria — typhoid, urinary infections, respiratory infections and several other conditions present similarly. Treating every fever as malaria without a rapid diagnostic test or blood film means the real cause goes untreated and contributes to drug resistance.
How Does Dihydroartemisinin and Piperaquine Work?
The two active compounds work as a fast-acting partner and a long-acting partner. Dihydroartemisinin clears the majority of circulating parasites quickly during the blood stage of infection. Piperaquine phosphate is eliminated far more slowly and remains in the body afterwards to clear parasites that survive the initial phase.
Combining two compounds that act by different mechanisms is the basis of artemisinin combination therapy. A parasite that can survive one of them is far less likely to survive both, which is why combination treatment replaced single-agent antimalarials as the international standard for uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
Two practical consequences follow from piperaquine’s long half-life, and both are covered in the sections below: the course must not be repeated soon afterwards, and the dose must be separated from food.
This medicine has no effect on fever itself. The manufacturer states this directly on the carton. Fever should be managed separately on medical advice. Fever that persists, worsens or returns should be reviewed promptly by a qualified healthcare professional — it may mean the infection has not responded, or that something other than malaria is causing it.
What Are the Active Ingredients?
Dihydroartemisinin 40mg
Dihydroartemisinin, also written as artenimol or dihydroqinghaosu, is a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin — the compound isolated from Artemisia annua, known in Chinese as qinghao and in English as sweet wormwood. Artemisinin was identified by Professor Tu Youyou, work recognised with the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Dihydroartemisinin is the active metabolite shared by the whole artemisinin family and is the fast-acting component of this formulation.
Piperaquine Phosphate 320mg
Piperaquine phosphate is a bisquinoline antimalarial used as the long-acting partner compound in artemisinin combination regimens. Because it is cleared slowly, it continues acting after the artemisinin component has left the body. It is also the component that carries the more significant safety considerations for this combination, set out under precautions below.
Product and Label Information
| Product name | Qinghao Capsule |
|---|---|
| Brand | Kedi |
| Form | Capsule |
| Pack size | 8 capsules |
| Dihydroartemisinin | 40mg per capsule |
| Piperaquine phosphate | 320mg per capsule |
| Use | Uncomplicated malaria, including Plasmodium falciparum and multi-drug resistant malaria |
| NAFDAC REG NO. (as printed on pack) | 04-2077 |
| Manufactured by | Fidson Healthcare Plc, Km 38 Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Sango-Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria |
| Manufactured for | Kedi Healthcare Industries Nigeria Limited, 4B Agbeke Rotinwa Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria |
How Do You Take Kedi Qinghao Capsule?
Qinghao Capsule should be administered as directed by a physician. The schedule printed on the current carton gives four doses over 48 hours, swallowed with water: adults aged 16 and above take two capsules per dose, and children aged 7 to 16 take one capsule per dose. Confirm the correct dose for your situation with your doctor or pharmacist before starting.
| Age | 0 hrs | 6 hrs | 24 hrs | 48 hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7–16 years | 1 capsule | 1 capsule | 1 capsule | 1 capsule |
| 16 years and above | 2 capsules | 2 capsules | 2 capsules | 2 capsules |
Dosage as printed on the current product carton. Dosing for children under 7 is not given on the pack — seek medical advice.
Take Each Dose on an Empty Stomach
Dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine medicines should be taken with water and away from food. Fatty food substantially increases how much piperaquine the body absorbs, which raises the risk of effects on heart rhythm. The general instruction for this combination is to take each dose at least three hours after eating and to avoid food for three hours afterwards. Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice during the course. Confirm the food instructions for this specific product with your pharmacist.
Finishing the Course, Vomiting and Missed Doses
- Complete every dose even if you feel better before the end. Stopping early is one of the main drivers of drug-resistant malaria.
- If you vomit shortly after a dose, contact your doctor or pharmacist — the dose may need to be repeated, and repeating it without advice risks over- or under-dosing.
- If a dose is delayed, take it as soon as you remember and seek advice on the remaining schedule. Do not take two doses close together to catch up.
- If symptoms have not improved by the end of the course, or return afterwards, go back for a repeat test rather than starting another course yourself.
What Should You Know Before Taking This Medicine?
This medicine is not suitable for everyone, and the piperaquine component in particular carries precautions that go beyond common side effects. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist before taking it, especially if you take any other medication.
Heart Rhythm
Piperaquine can affect the electrical activity of the heart, an effect known as QT-interval prolongation. Tell your doctor or pharmacist before use if you or a close family member has a heart-rhythm disorder, a history of sudden unexplained death, congenital long QT syndrome, a slow heart rate, heart failure, or a known electrolyte imbalance such as low potassium or magnesium. Anyone in these groups should be assessed medically before taking this combination.
Other Medicines
Several common medicines can raise the risk of heart-rhythm effects when combined with piperaquine, including certain antibiotics, antifungals, antipsychotics, antidepressants and some other antimalarials. Tell your pharmacist about every medicine, herbal preparation and supplement you are currently taking, including anything bought without a prescription, before starting this course.
Precautions Printed on the Pack
- This medicine has no effect on the abatement of fever.
- Patients with hepatorenal (liver and kidney) function disorder should use with caution.
- Administer strictly according to the stated dosage. If symptoms persist, consult your physician.
- Piperaquine phosphate has a long half-life. Do not repeat doses within half a month. Because international guidance for this combination is more conservative still, do not begin a repeat course at all without medical advice.
- Dihydroartemisinin is not recommended during the first trimester of pregnancy unless a doctor has evaluated the balance between safety and risk.
- Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.
Who Should Not Take It Without Medical Advice
- Anyone allergic to any component of the formulation
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding — malaria in pregnancy is serious and needs proper medical management, so seek advice rather than self-treating either way
- People with severe liver or kidney disease
- People with a blood disorder such as leucopenia or thrombocytopenia
- People with a heart-rhythm condition or taking medicines that affect heart rhythm
- Children under 7, for whom the pack gives no dosing
- Anyone who has taken another antimalarial in recent weeks
Side Effects
Reported reactions are described by the manufacturer as uncommon and mainly attributable to piperaquine phosphate. They include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, stomach pain and diarrhoea; dizziness, headache and insomnia; and skin itching or rash. Transient changes in laboratory values have also been reported. Stop taking the medicine and seek medical attention if you develop a rash, swelling, palpitations, fainting or any severe reaction. In the event of an overdose, seek immediate medical care.
What This Product Does Not Do
- It is not a malaria preventive. Do not take it as a routine tonic or as protection before travel.
- It does not reduce fever.
- It is not a substitute for a malaria test.
- It is not a treatment for severe malaria, which requires hospital care.
- It is not a deworming product and it is not an immune supplement. Neither claim is supported by the product label.
How Should It Be Stored?
- Preserve in a well-closed, light-resistant container
- Store in a cool, dry place below 30°C
- Keep away from direct sunlight and heat sources
- Do not store in a bathroom or other humid area
- Keep out of the reach of children
- Check the expiry date printed on the carton before use
How Do You Know You Are Getting the Genuine Product?
You will receive one factory-sealed carton containing 8 capsules. The pack is white and teal with the QINGHAO name in green, a crossed-out mosquito graphic on the front, and the composition — Dihydroartemisinin 40mg and Piperaquine phosphate 320mg — printed directly beneath the product name.
The reverse panel carries the composition, indications, storage conditions, the dosage table and the warnings. The side panel carries NAFDAC REG NO.: 04-2077 alongside the batch number, manufacturing date and expiry date, and the adjacent panel names Fidson Healthcare Plc as manufacturer and Kedi Healthcare Industries Nigeria Limited as the company it is manufactured for.
Before taking any medicine bought anywhere, check that the carton is unopened and undamaged and that the batch number and expiry date are clearly printed. Counterfeit antimalarials are a real problem across the region, and a sealed pack from a traceable source matters more here than with most products. Recs-Medix sources directly from authorised distributors and does not sell opened, repackaged or grey-market stock.
Buying Kedi Qinghao Capsule From Recs-Medix
Malaria treatment is time-sensitive, so we deliver rather than asking you to travel for it.
- Order online with delivery in Lagos and Abuja, often the same day
- Nationwide delivery across Nigeria
- Payment on delivery available within Nigeria
- Authentic sourcing direct from authorised distributors
- Support by WhatsApp, phone and email if you have questions before ordering
If you have not yet been tested, get a malaria test first — the result determines whether this is the right medicine at all. See our delivery information or read the returns and refunds policy. Note that for safety reasons, medicines cannot be returned once dispensed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a malaria test before taking Qinghao Capsule?
Yes. Fever has many causes besides malaria, and treating an unconfirmed fever with an antimalarial leaves the real cause untreated while contributing to drug resistance. Get a rapid diagnostic test or blood film, and take this medicine on the advice of a doctor or pharmacist.
Should Qinghao Capsule be taken with food or on an empty stomach?
Take it with water, away from food. Fatty meals significantly increase piperaquine absorption, which raises the risk of effects on heart rhythm. The general guidance for dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine is at least three hours after eating, with no food for three hours afterwards, and no grapefruit juice during the course.
What should I do if I vomit after a dose?
Contact your doctor or pharmacist rather than deciding yourself. Whether the dose needs repeating depends on how soon after taking it the vomiting occurred. Repeated vomiting, or inability to keep the medicine down at all, is a sign that treatment needs to move to a hospital.
What if I miss a dose?
Take it as soon as you remember and seek advice on the timing of the remaining doses. Do not double up to catch up. Completing every dose matters — stopping early is one of the main causes of drug-resistant malaria.
Which medicines can interact with piperaquine?
Piperaquine can affect heart rhythm, and that risk increases alongside certain antibiotics, antifungals, antipsychotics, antidepressants and some other antimalarials. Tell your pharmacist about everything you are taking, including herbal products and supplements, before starting the course.
Who should not take this medicine?
Anyone allergic to its components, people with severe liver or kidney disease, people with blood disorders such as leucopenia or thrombocytopenia, and anyone with a heart-rhythm condition. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and children under 7, should only take an antimalarial under medical direction.
What symptoms mean I should go to hospital instead?
Confusion, drowsiness, convulsions, difficulty breathing, repeated vomiting, yellow eyes or very dark urine, passing little urine, or extreme weakness. These can indicate severe malaria, which requires injectable treatment in hospital — an oral capsule is not appropriate treatment for it.
Can I repeat the course if symptoms come back?
Not without medical advice. Piperaquine has a long half-life and is still present in the body after the course ends, so repeat courses are restricted. If symptoms return or never fully clear, go for a repeat test — the cause may not be malaria at all.
What is Qinghao in English, and is it the same as mugwort?
Qinghao is Artemisia annua, known in English as sweet wormwood or annual wormwood. It shares the Artemisia genus with common mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris, but they are different species with different chemistry — only Artemisia annua yields artemisinin. “Qinghaosu” is the Chinese name for artemisinin itself; “Ching Hao” is an alternative romanisation of the same plant name.
What is Artemisia annua used for?
It is the botanical source of artemisinin, from which dihydroartemisinin and the other artemisinin-derived antimalarial compounds are made, and it has a long history of use for fever in traditional Chinese medicine. The plant itself, taken as a tea or herb, is not a substitute for a properly dosed antimalarial medicine.
Where can I buy Kedi Qinghao Capsule in Nigeria?
You can order it online from Recs-Medix with delivery in Lagos and Abuja and nationwide delivery across Nigeria, with payment on delivery available. Our Lagos and Abuja stores are also open if you prefer to collect in person.
Always read the label and use only as directed. This information does not replace advice from a qualified doctor or pharmacist. If symptoms persist or worsen, seek medical attention promptly.
Last updated: July 2026
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.