Dozens of students from Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan have studied herbal medicine at UGM. They studied herbs as part of the Summer Course “Translating Jamu, Indonesian Herbal Medicine: From Ancient Knowledge to Evidence Based Medicine” organized by the Faculty of Pharmacy UGM.
The activity ran for 15 days, from 13th to 26th September 2016, and was attended by ten students from Egypt, Sudan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Japan. They did further study on traditional medicine and medicinal plants in Indonesia.
“The students were not only invited to learn about jamu as native Indonesian medicinal herbs, but also to practice the process of making traditional jamu in the community,” said Dr.re.nat. Triana Hertiani, M.Sc., Apt, Chief Program of the Summer Course 2016, said recently (26/9).
Triana commented that this event is one manifestation of cultural preservation and the use of jamu as native Indonesian medicinal herbs. The event was organized in cooperation with a number of foreign partners, including Mahidol University in Thailand, University of Technology Malaysia, and Ehime University of Japan. In addition, it is also supported by The Federation of Asian Pharmaceuticals Association (FAPA).
The 2016 summer course combined interactive classroom activities, field trips and cultural trips. The participants were given the opportunity to learn about the use and management of medicinal herbs from the cultivation of the plants, their harvesting, and post-harvest processing such as preparation of the herbal medicine. In fact, the participants also got the chance to test the bioactivity and safety of the products for consumption.
Triana said that in this activity the students also had the opportunity to see and learn the process of making herbal medicine in both local and modern industry. Not only that, they also visited Turgo Hill at the foot of Mount Merapi to see the biodiversity of medicinal plants, the center of herbal markets at Beringharjo, Yogyakarta, and B2P2TOOT Tawangmangu. They also got to visit medicinal plant extraction facility (Peto), Cendani scrubs which is a small-scale enterprise (SME) founded by alumni of the Faculty of Pharmacy, the herbal clinic at Dr Sadjito Hospital, as well as the herbal medicine industry in Sukoharjo. In addition, they also visited a number of cultural attractions in Yogyakarta and surrounding areas.
Triana hopes through this event, jamu could be considered to be part of international traditional medicine in a way comparable to Traditional Chinese Medicine (China) and Ayurveda (India). Not only that, the program is also expected to increase the participation of UGM as a leader in the scientific development of herbal medicine and opportunities for all local and foreign students to learn about jamu as native Indonesian medicinal herbs.
“This activity is also expected to promote multilateral cooperation with foreign institutions, especially in the development of herbal and other traditional medicines,” she said. (UGM / Ika)