"We have discussed it with the government through the ministry of tourism and creative economy," founder of the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) Jayasuprana said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is proposing its `jamu` (medicinal herbs) products to UNESCO to get recognition as a world heritage, founder of the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) Jayasuprana said.

"We have discussed it with the government through the ministry of tourism and creative economy," Jayasuprana said here on Wednesday.

He said that his side continued to fight for Indonesia`s original jamu products to get recognition from UNESCO as a world`s heritage.

Jayasuprana said that each region or province in Indonesia had its own types of jamu so that Indonesia`s herbal products highly varied. "Jamu is a product of our civilization. Each civilized nation has its own type of medicinal herbs so that this deserved to be recognized as a world`s heritage," The MURI founder said.

According to Jayasuprana, Indonesia`s jamu has no match in the world but the sense of belonging and pride of the Indonesian people is still relatively low.

"If compared with those of China, the types of Indonesia`s jamu more excelled in term of its diversities. But we cannot compete with China in term of national pride," he said.

Jayasuprana said that to make Indonesia`s dream come true where its jamu products get UNESCO`s recognition, all stakeholders must be involved, including the central and regional governments as well as the whole people.

Indonesia has also been launching a program to get scientific recognition for its jamu products.

The Health Ministry has been conducting a program since 2011 to scientize Indonesian medicinal herbs or `jamu` in order to make them as scientifically credible as modern drugs and internationally acceptable.

Medicinal herbs have been used in Indonesia since time immemorial to heal different kinds of diseases, yet they have not gained recognition, at least until recently, by the medical world to put them on doctor`s prescriptions.

Aware of the effectiveness in curing diseases and the economic potential of at least 3,000 kinds of medicinal herbs in Indonesia, the government launched the program to study and scientize medicinal herbs.

In the research process, technology is important which, according to natural medicine researcher Prof Dr Subagus Wahuono of Yogyakarta-based Gajah Mada University recelty, is needed to enrich the active compounds of herbal medicine.

"There are two important things for the development of herbal medicines, namely to enrich the active compounds and their frames of the herb material," he said.

He said that although Indonesia had abundant medicinal plants yet their active compounds that could be extracted were relatively low. "For example, from one kilogram of a medicinal plant, only about one milligram active compounds could be extracted," the professor said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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