Membangun Peradaban Bersama Rakyat

by Ayat S Karokaro/Mongabay Indonesia |

Forests continue to be eroded, making it increasingly rare and difficult to find plants for medicine. In order to discuss this issue, the gatherers, activists of alternative health, gathered a few days ago in Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra, to discuss the current condition of their difficulty in finding various medicinal plants.

The meeting was attended by the North Sumatra Health Service, the Medan City Food and Drug Administration (BPOM), Bitra Indonesia and hundreds of traditional medicine gatherers throughout North Sumatra.

Muhammad Yusuf Harahap, Chair of the 2019 North Sumatra Alternative Health Activist Association, said that Indonesia is so rich. Forests have many resources, including medicinal plants that can be easily found around the forest and in the yard of the house.

He could not imagine when the forest was no longer there, medicinal plants could disappear. This condition, he said, should not happen until rescue efforts had to be made.

“Over time, a civilization passed down through generations of medicinal plants will be lost and will never be found again if the forest is destroyed,” he said.

He said, there are medicinal plants that have been known for a long time and must be maintained, like balsam grass. It is useful for relieving fatigue and expelling wind. There are also tapak liman, to treat stomach pain and ulcers. Also chicken claw can be a medicine for lung disease and the like.

“This plant must be maintained. The local wisdom of this ancestral heritage will be destroyed if it is not saved because of human activities. Let’s protect Indonesia’s abundant natural wealth from the threat of extinction,” said Yusuf.

Sri Agustina Sembiring, a member of the Center for the Application of Traditional Medicine Development (SP3T), North Sumatra Health Service, explained that to protect people who consume traditional medicinal plants, they are regularly monitored and made regulations.

He values ​​that it is important in addition to protecting consumers or the public, as well as monitoring so that there is no malpractice. In addition, he said, it makes it easier to develop and supervise traditional healers themselves.

According to him, the issue of officers’ knowledge of regulatory deepening is still lacking. Traditional healers are also less willing to cooperate with officers who recommend issuing permits. They refused a lot.

“In fact, our intention is to protect them, and to protect the medicines that are mixed so that the plants can survive. Strengthening understanding about consumer protection is also important , “he said.

Sri said that in North Sumatra, based on their data, there are at least 2,000 traditional healers who practice and use plants as medicines.

Most of them are in Medan City, almost 800 traditional healers, in Deli Serdang there are 600, and Karo 200 traditional healers. So far, no permit has been revoked.

“Supervision of traditional healers is very important. We have found that traditional healers use psychotropic drugs. It is prohibited and criminal. So, we arrange permits starting with recommendations from the Puskesmas, village heads and refer to the Health Office for recommendations to one-stop services, then a registered letter for traditional healers is issued,” he said.

Aminah Fuadi Siregar, from the Center for Drug and Food Control (BPOM) Medan City, said that the use of living plants in nature for traditional medicines actually needs to be preserved.

BPOM Medan, has even provided various counseling and understanding to traditional healers, to register their findings about various types of medicines formulated from plants. However, he said, they had to go through various procedures, one of which was the inspection of plant raw materials.

If all the requirements can be completed, BPOM will help market and install an official label from BPOM that the drug is fit for consumption and free of various harmful ingredients.

“BPOM is more for industry, there are small and medium industries.”

BPOM data, in 2019, only two have certificates of traditional drug production methods. Previously, there were eight already had certificates. “Many submitted applications but stopped midway because they rejected the results of the BPOM laboratory test.”

He gave an example, karo oil and lemongrass oil which have plant-based ingredients. Microbes, must be checked, so that it is safe for consumption. Temu comedy is also the same, the content must pass the BPOM laboratory examination.

“We don’t want to make things difficult. Ancestral heritage regarding the efficacy of medicines from generation to generation must be respected, but more advanced, there needs to be regulation and supervision.”

To protect and provide understanding for traditional healers, he said, they need assistance. An institution called the Indonesian Rural Skills Development Foundation (Bitra) has been doing this since 1997. Currently, there are 32 groups of traditional healers located in nine regencies and cities in North Sumatra, and live around forest areas that support the Gunung Leuser National Park (TNGL). as well as protection and production forests.

Iswan Kaputra, Deputy Director of Bitra Indonesia, said that this assistance is necessary because they are experts in concocting traditional medicines from their ancestors, and they still have little understanding of the current laws and regulations.

In addition, there are malpractices causing problems for traditional healers, resulting in reduced public trust and administrative sanctions for not knowing the rules.

“So we provide assistance, understanding the actors of these traditional healers, forming small groups in each region, at any time being able to coordinate with each other on all matters. We must continue to protect the local wisdom of this ancestral heritage.”

Traditional healers, he said, were also facilitated by mini laboratories, to mix all plants into medicines.

Rare plants are also bred in a place where they practice. He admits, at this time to get medicinal plants that grow naturally, is very difficult.

“Currently, we are working on the concept of building a Diploma III-level school, so that the next generation who has the ability to mix plants into traditional medicines is not constrained by regulations.”

Iswan is worried that the forest where these medicinal plants live is damaged. This condition is a problem for traditional healers, because there are fewer raw materials.

They also made the concept of a mixed crop garden. Currently, he said, the main ingredients for cancer drugs in the forest are very difficult. Many people who come for treatment suffer from this terrible disease, but raw materials are scarce. “It was all because the forest was destroyed. We continue to carry out forest protection campaigns with the community.”

Source: Mongabay Indonesia – mongabay.co.id