News

03 August 2018

Organic Temulawak: Collaboration Results of SOHO, Sukabumi (Government) & IPB for a Healthier Indonesia

Curcuma xanthorrhiza or better known as Temulawak is a plant that produces root rhizomes or roots that have efficacy as herbal plants (medicinal plants). Indigenous plants of Indonesia that lives in the island of Maluku, Java and Kalimantan is categorized as a family of ginger. Temulawak has a variety of benefits ranging from maintaining appetite, supporting healthy digestion, maintaining liver health, maintaining endurance, to preventing cancer. The benefits of Temulawak have been proven for generations and published in various scientific journals.

To develop this indigenous herbs from Indonesia, cross-sectoral collaboration from the government, academics, business actors and farmer groups is carried out to support the innovation resulted from this organic Temulawak cultivation. PT SOHO Global Health (SGH) as a pharmaceutical company that produces modern herbal medicine continues to focus on Harnessing Nature for a Healthier Indonesia.

As stated by DR Raphael Aswin Susilowidodo, SGH Vice President of Research & Development, Regulatory and Medical Affairs, SOHO is committed to developing indigenous herbs from Indonesia through organic Temulawak plantations with the concept of Seed to Patient under the SOHO Center of Excellence in Herbal Research (SCEHR). SCEHR is a manifestation of the synergy created by SOHO Global Health with various elements in ABGC (Academic, Business, Government, and Community) Linkage in developing Seed to Patient concepts. This collaboration is expected to contribute not only to the health of people, the welfare of the farming community, also to introduce Indonesian herbal potential to the world. SCEHR is SOHO Global Health's plantation and research facility which focuses on research and cultivation of Temulawak (Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb). This facility is located in the village of Cihanjawar, Nagrak, Sukabumi which was inaugurated by the Head of BPOM and the Regent of Sukabumi in 2015.  Since then several research projects have made significant progress to identify promising New Product Development targets.

The Head of the Agriculture Office of Sukabumi Regency, Ir Dedah Herlina, MSi in her opening remarks at the Temulawak Grand Harvest event at the plantation facility and research, SOHO Center of Excellence in Herbal Research (SCEHR) in Nagrak, Sukabumi, West Java on July 26, 2018 said that the government fully supports the development of Temulawak as an indigenous Indonesian herbs, especially in Sukabumi. It is expected that the use of Temulawak for health benefit can be widely felt by the people of Indonesia because currently its utilization is still limited. Dedah also said that this cross-sectoral cooperation is expected to introduce Temulawak to the world so that it can increase the income of the local farming community, such as the Kemuning Sukabumi Farmers Group (Gapoktan) which was also attend the Temulawak Grand Harvest event.

Also attend were the Academics team from IPB, the Head of the Institute for Research & Community Service to the IPB Community (LPPM), Dr. Ir. Aji Hermawan and the Center for Tropical Biopharmaceutical Studies DR Waras Nurcholis, Ssi, Msi. In his review of Temulawak as Super Food, Waras said that the benefits of temulawak towards health is traditionally used to improve appetite, overcome digestive disorders, overcome liver disease, constipation, bloody diarrhea, fever, hemorrhoids, to skin health.

Temulawak has also been studied for its benefits ranging from curcuminoid efficacy contained in it as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotection, antidiabetic, anticancer and xanthorrhizol efficacy in Temulawak which are useful for anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antihyperglycemia, antihypertensive, neuroprotection, and estrogenic effects.

Waras also said that academics in this case LPPM & Biofarmaka IPB provide an effective contribution to provide training to farmers on how to cultivate Temulawak organically to produce high quality Temulawak. Organic Temulawak cultivation itself according to Waras went through the process starting from selection of locations that need to fulfill several conditions, selection of seeds from superior varieties, land preparation, spacing and organic fertilization, the process of planting, classification, to harvest and post-harvest. The post-harvest process itself includes the process of sorting, washing, slicing, drying, and storing. In other words, the organic Temulawak produced has been controlled from seeds to the harvesting process.

In this occasion, the attendees were invited to witness firsthand how the concept of Seed to Patient was applied in the development of Temulawak-based SGH products, one of which was Curcuma Plus. As one of SOHO's flagship products, Curcuma Plus uses basic ingredients of organic Temulawak with the concept of Seed to Patient.

The concept of Seed to Patient is an innovative process in which SOHO Global Health develops Temulawak ranging from standardized seeds with the best quality, recorded and controlled process in planting, harvesting to processing, extracting process that produces high quality and consistent extract, formulation of temulawak extract into medicine, Pre test clinic and Clinical test and distribution to patient's hands. The whole process of planting up to processing by SOHO Global Health at SCHER has been certified organic farming by Inofice, an organic plant certification body.

The series of events closed with the product demo "test the taste" where the attendees are invited to try the taste of "stew" temulawak which is still have rhizome flavor that bitter  then compared with try to taste the product innovation processed temulawak PT SOHO, Curcuma Plus Milk which tastes really good. With an enhanced formula, Curcuma Plus Milk contained a combination of delicious New Zealand Milk and Organic Temulawak, Fish Oil, Calcium, Vitamins and Minerals to nourish and help children eat with balanced nutrition for optimal growth. This shows the seriousness of PT SOHO in delivering consumers with products that are efficacious with delicious taste.