Jakarta, Aug 19 (Antara) - Rich in medicinal herbs, Indonesia, like
China and other countries where herbal medicines are a popular
alternative to conventional medicine, is boosting the cultivation of
medicinal plants.
Indonesia has at least 3,000 types of herbal medicines, locally known
as "jamu." Jamu has long been used as a popular alternative treatment in
Indonesia for various health concerns.
Although most of the country's medicinal herbs have yet to receive
scientific recognition of their medicinal properties, jamu attracts
consumers who wish to avoid the side effects of modern prescription
drugs.
Based
on data provided by the Health Ministry's Research and Development
Center, about 50 percent of the country's population in 2010 used jamu
for healing their health complaints.
Therefore, the government, particularly the Ministry of Forestry, is
encouraging the cultivation of medicinal plants in forest areas and the
development of the medicinal herb industry as a whole.
"I am convinced that the medicinal plant forest development concept
will help boost the herbal medicine industry, which could boost income,
provide informal education, and ensure the conservation of Nature and
the prosperity of the locals," Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said in
Surabaya, East Java, on Monday.
To support the use of herbal medicines, the government needs to conduct
studies on the effectiveness of jamu products and guarantee they will
not harm the patients.
Aware of the medicines' effectiveness in curing disease and the
economic potential for growing at least 7,000 varieties of medicinal
plants in Indonesia, the government launched a scientific research
program to study these medicinal herbs four years ago.
As of last year, scientific studies have officially recognized the
healing properties evident in four kinds of popular herbal medicines.
"The initiative to acquire scientific recognition for jamu's (healing
properties) started in 2010. The goal was to support popular belief in
their healing properties with scientific evidence," Sri Indrawati,
director general of pharmaceuticals and healthcare instruments
management at the Health Ministry, had noted at the time.
"The
four herbal medicines (scientifically proven to be effective) are used
for treating inflammation, gout, hypertension and cholesterol. Many
other herbal medicines have yet to be tested scientifically," she said.
Advanced technology, according to natural medicine researcher Prof Dr
Subagus Wahuono of the Yogyakarta-based Gajah Mada University, is needed
to enrich the active compounds in herbal medicines.
Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan pointed out that mature, strategic
planning supported by valid research was necessary to ensure the
effective cultivation of medicinal plants for mass production.
"I think it is better for medicinal plant forest development to be
implemented on an industrial scale," the minister said during a national
seminar on the "Conservation and Utilization of Indonesia's Flora" at
the University of Airlangga in Surabaya on Monday.
Under the proposed model, herbal plants can be developed using an
intensification and extensification system, utilizing Indonesia's forest
areas and scientific research.
So far, most herbal plants have been developed under the traditional
system of family medicine. They are typically planted in the yards or
gardens surrounding private homes.
To boost cultivation efforts, the Ministry of Forestry has offered the
use of forest areas, which have so far been utilized by society-based
forest development systems such as the smallholders' forest (HTR),
society-based forest (HKm) and village forest (HD).
Since these
forest-development systems were introduced to empower the local people
and because the residents in the area are already familiar with the
species of plants growing there, these systems are best suited to
cultivating the medicinal plants on a large scale.
Within the areas managed by the HTR, HKm and HD forest development
systems, medicinal plants could be planted under trees, using an
agro-forestry system, allowing villagers living in the area to benefit
from a by-product of the forests.
According to Hasan, Indonesia now records some 3,000 species of medicinal plants growing in its forests.
Among
the most popular of these plants are "pasak bumi" (Eurycoma longifolia)
of Kalimantan for stamina, "buah merah" (Pandanus conoideus) of Papua
for boosting the body's immunity against various diseases, "tangkai daun
benalu the" (Loranthus spp) for its anti-cancer properties, "tangkai
daun Brotowali" (Tinospora crispa L.) for its anti-malarial properties,
"daun Jambu biji" (Psidium guajava L.) for diarrhea, and "Sambiloto"
(Andrographis paniculata Ness.) for its antibacterial properties and for
treating diabetes.
Indonesia also possesses a great deal of indigenous knowledge of
traditional, botanical medicines. This is proven by the fact that the
locals have long been utilizing at least 1,000 plant species as sources
of medicinal herbs to prevent and cure various diseases and maintain the
body's health and stamina.
"Therefore,
it is quite reasonable to say that the potential benefit of medicinal
plants in Indonesia would be high if they were properly developed," the
minister stated.***3***
(T.A014/INE/A014 )
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 19-08-2014 19:25 |
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