Scientists from Australia and Indonesia will
work together to extract medicinal compounds from a range of native Indonesian
herbs, starting with the Temulawak.
Supercritical
fluid technologies developed at the University of New South Wales will play a
vital role in unlocking the secrets of Indonesian herbs, starting with the
Temulawak, a ginger plant native to Java.
A
memorandum of understanding was signed today between the UNSW and PT SOHO
Global Health, a leading Indonesian pharmaceutical company based in Jakarta,
which plans to use these technologies to extract medicinal compounds from
native Indonesian herbs.
“This
is an exciting new project with an important end-goal given the large market
and popularity of herbal remedies in countries such as Indonesia,” said
Professor Neil Foster from the School of Chemical Engineering at UNSW.
Supercritical
fluids, which are essentially compressed gases such as carbon dioxide, have
already been used to extract flavonoids from hops in the production of beer and
to decaffeinate coffee.
“The
technologies we have developed have the potential to uncover the true medicinal
value of many plants that have not yet been explored,” explained Foster. “And
in the long term, it is planned to use the technologies to re-engineer
pharmaceuticals to improve bioavailability and develop less invasive methods of
delivery, such as by inhalation.”
The
first plant to be studied in the new partnership is Curcuma
Xanthorrhiza, known popularly as “Temulawak,” and used for centuries for
the treatment of arthritis and gastrointestinal complaints.
PT SOHO
has been conducting extensive research on the Temulawak herb for more than 15
years, entering into numerous research agreements with the Indonesian
government and universities to secure land to cultivate the herb, and to help
deliver clinically proven natural medicines.
Source: UNSW
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