Indonesia is one of the world’s wealthiest countries in terms of plant biodiversity, with over 20,000 identified species and around 200 species currently being utilized for medicinal purposes, both natural and synthetic. However, the development of natural medicinal ingredients remains suboptimal due to a lack of experts in botany and pharmacognosy.
This concern was raised during a public lecture titled “Challenges and Solutions in Ensuring High-Quality Raw Materials for the Development of Jamu,” held online via Kanal Pengetahuan Farmasi UGM (the UGM Pharmacy Knowledge Channel) on YouTube on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
The lecture was organized by the Faculty of Pharmacy at Universitas Gadjah Mada (Pharmacy UGM) and featured Dr. Yosi Bayu Murti, a lecturer at UGM, and Professor Michael Heinrich, an expert in ethnopharmacology and pharmacognosy from University College London.
Dr. Murti highlighted that many plant species in Indonesia remain unidentified and unexplored, despite their potential as sources for medicinal raw materials.
At the same time, Indonesia faces a decline in the manufacturing industry for plant-based raw materials, extracts, and formulated products.
“Even though the raw materials come from plants, we still face significant challenges on the industrial side,” he said.
Regarding jamu raw materials, Dr. Murti explained that herbal medicine companies are also constrained by seasonal production cycles.
“Currently, raw materials are difficult to obtain because they are not in their high metabolic phase due to the rainy season. Moreover, the overall quality of raw materials remains low,” Dr. Murti noted.
He emphasized the need for medicinal plants used in jamu to also be directed toward modern drug production, although this transformation requires a long process, including ensuring the availability of high-quality raw materials and standardized certification for Natural-Based Medicines (OBA).
To promote the utilization of OBA, regulatory reforms are needed to facilitate its development among doctors and pharmacists and to foster collaboration between all stakeholders.
“We need alignment between researchers and industry players, a shared understanding of standardization implementation from upstream to downstream, and, ultimately, harmonization between researchers and OBA regulatory frameworks,” he added.
Dr. Murti observed growth in the OBA market, with production value reaching IDR 3 trillion by mid-2024, indicating rapid industry expansion.
In 2023, the market share of OBA accounted for 7–10% of the national pharmaceutical market.
Export values between January and September 2024 reached USD 639.42 million.
“These figures reflect significant expansion in the industry,” he said.
In his presentation, Professor Heinrich pointed out several challenges in transforming OBA into modern drugs, notably the lengthy and complex drug discovery process.
“The timeline and effort from initial research to final product are extensive and costly. Extracts as active substances pose unique challenges, with lower productivity compared to synthetic compounds. The Nagoya Protocol and other related regulations are very strict. On top of that, the multidisciplinary nature of the process adds complexity,” he explained.
He further noted that the development of OBA is hindered by a shortage of botanists and pharmacognosists, compounded by regulatory barriers that make it difficult for natural extracts to be approved as medicinal drugs.
“This can be mitigated by promoting their use in dietary supplements and traditional herbal products (jamu),” said Professor Heinrich.
Author: Kezia Dwina Nathania
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Illustration: Freepik