Want to be Healthy and Always Fit, Try Herbs

In terms of herbs, Indonesia is the world's largest laboratory medicinal plants, approximately 80% of the herbs in the world  grown in Indonesia. The ancestors of the previous use of natural flora and make Indonesia herbal concoctions of medicinal plants. The evidence can be seen through the use of herbs heritage events in palm leaves notes to the temple reliefs. Herbal medicine comes from the ancient Javanese Idioms spell or Usodo, which means treatment using herbs, prayer and spell.

For residents of Indonesia, herbal or traditional medicine has been part of the effort to protect the health and freshness. Not just ordinary people, some government officials who have the habit of taking a lot of medicine. One of they is the jakarta governor Joko Widodo. When he returned to solo, the first thing he did when he got in his home in the city of Surakarta, he immediately drink herbal. "In addition to sleep as well as the rest of my drink made of herbs by my wife, herbs ginger and honey", said the man who was familiarly called Jokowi.

According to data from basic medical research, 2010, approximately 59.12% of people use herbal remedies Indonesia. of that number, 95.6% of people who used to drink herbal claiming the benefit of it. Traditional medicine is known to prevent and cure various kinds of diseases, like coronary heart disease, stroke, prostate, arthritis, anti-cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis, malaria, diarrhea, and hypertension.

Even so, according Abidinsyah Siregar, Director of Health Service Building Traditional, Alternative and Complementary Health Ministry) discernment is needed when utilizing traditional medicine. Each culture has a different step in the processing of raw materials although it's the same herb. Because it takes wisdom not standardized when utilizing herbal medicine, he said.

Despite from huge potential, not many herbal medicines industry to examine preclinical testing and clinical trials. Abidinsyah say : "this time we only have 38 types of standardized herbal and 6 fitofarmaka". Medicinal product anti-cold, Antangin developed by deltomed, is one among the products that already passed the preclinical and expressed as standardized herbal medicine. dr. abrijanto (Business Development Manager Deltomed Company) say, "Antangin've tested to understand the impact of toxicity in the use of short periods and long periods". In the subchronic toxicity testing there is no known toxic effects on organs in mice. In addition, taking anti-cold syrups can also be proved to raise physical fitness, said abrijanto.

Even though it had long been used by the public, but is still remain marginalized in traditional medicine health services in Indonesia. Compared with china, india, or Korean, the healing herb side by side with modern healing, herbal healing in this country still considered as an alternative healing.

Professor of Pharmaceutical Science Faculty University of Indonesia, Maksum Radji, explains, traditional medicine approach is indeed not the same as medical drugs. If accomplished the standardization of herbal drug development fits with scientific advice, it can be used in modern healing.

This means it took through various parts fit with scientific principles, starting from preclinical testing and clinical trials, says Prof. Maksum. Efforts to integrate traditional healing within the health service actually already declared by Former Health Minister Endang Sedyangingsih through scientific programs on herbal medicine. Based on the info Abidinsyah, this time already, there are 40 government hospitals and 219 health centers that provide traditional health services, alternative, and complementary integrated.

Integration of traditional healing within integrated health systems, according to Prof. Maksum, will accelerate the use of herbal medicines and safe fit. Because, it takes some strategic measures supported by the government, for example, for the type of integrated herbal clinic, where in the service more than one health worker who works provide service to patients.

Manufacturers also need to be encouraged to raise the status of their products become standardized herbal medicine or fitofarmaka to ensure product safety. Therefore the research profile of herbal medicine in Indonesia need to start upgraded from biomedical research to clinical research. This subject is indeed a good challenge for researchers herbal medicine or herbal medicine manufacturers, clinical trial system because it needs substantial investment costs, he said.

In the future, Indonesia need bold traditional medicine research began to be more safe and not exploited and even patented preceded by other nations.