Abstract: The invention provides the use of zinc complexes of selected amino acids from D or L isomers of proline, lysine, histidine, glycine, arginine and tryptophan or their various hydroxyl, amino, alkyl and carboxyl derivatives and zinc chloride, zinc acetate or other pharmacologically acceptable salts of zinc. The use of the compound comprises administering an effective amount of said compounds for inhibition of growth: of the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The compound is lethal to the parasite in RBC cultures but have no effect on the RBCs. The compound has also displayed activity against, the chloroquine-resistant strain-W2Mef. The dose response curves for both 3D7 and W2Mef strains are identical which strongly suggested that the compound is equally effective against field isolates of chloroquine-resistant, P. falciparum. The compound acts on W2Mef strain through killing the target.