Jakarta, Indonesia (News Today) - Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua has abundant biodiversity including lots of medicinal plants that can be developed for the local people’s welfare. The effectivess of the medicinal plants has been known for thousands of years by the Dani tribe in the Baliem Valley in Jayawijaya district which is located at an altitude of 1,900 meters above sea level.
Only about a 50-minute drive from Wamena Airport, the Baliem Valley is located in the Central Highlands of Papua’s Jayawijaya Mountains. Yunus Paelo, a lecturer at Santo Thomas Aquinas Agricultural Science College (STIPER), said in Jayapura on Tuesday that the medicinal plants were proven effective to cure various kinds of disease.
He said a lot of plants in the mountains of Jayawijaya district had medicinal properties and if developed properly, it could step up the local people’s welfare and health. "The Dani ethnic community’s knowledge about the medicinal plants is in line with cultural development in the realm of medication," Yunus said.
According to him, many of the medicinal plants were endemic and grow only in the Jayawijaya mountain region. He said among the medicinal plants growing in the region were Rhododendron macgregoriae which is effective to fight bacteria, Myrmecodia aureospinosa that can cure cancer and other diseases, and Pandanus conoideus which is popularly known as red fruit.
Meanwhile, Papua Regional Representative Council (DPD) member Max Demetouw said Pandanus conoideus (Red Fruit) grows well in all Papua regions, especially in Jayawijaya mountain area of Wamena and Tolikara, Jayapura, Manokwari, Nabire, Timika, and Ayamaru in Sorong. The red fruit is traditionally prepared by splitting it, wrapping it in leaves, and then cooking it in an earthen oven to produce red fruit juice which is good for skin and eye medicine and for worm treatment.
Based on the analysis conducted by Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), Red Fruit actually contains high degree of carotenoids and tocoferol which is rich in Vitamin E supplements. There are over 600 known carotenoids divided into two classes, xanthophylls which contain oxygen and carotenes which are purely hydrocarbons and contain no oxygen.
People consuming diets rich in Carotenoids from natural foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are healthier and have lower mortality from a number of chronic illnesses. The total amount of Carotenoids in a Fresh Red Fruit is 34,000 ppm, and in its Red Fruit Extract 8,600 ppm. The total amount of Tocoferol in a Fresh Red Fruit is 133,000 ppm and in its Red Fruit Extract 17,000 ppm.
Beside Carotenoids and Tocoferol, Red Fruit Extract also contains Overfull Fatty Acids, such as Lauric, Palmitat, Stearat Acids, and Non-Full Fatty Acids, such as Palmitoleat, Oleat, Linoleat Acids, Omega-3, etc. From the high compound ingredients of antioxidants as well as fatty acids within the Red Fruit, it was rationally understood that its extract is used as an alternative food supplement to enhance physical endurance.
The endurance is caused by the chemical ingredients from the oil of Red Frut such as Betacaroten, Tocoferol, Active Compound of Fully Fatty Acids and Non-Fatty Acids. The antioxidants contained in the Red Fruit Ectract will neutralize the free radicals which is believed to cause diseases such as Diabetes, Hypertension, Stroke, Cancer, Leukemia, HIV-AIDS, etc.
Red Fruit is also useful for healthy people to help step up their stamina and body endurance. Besides containing antioxidants and antiviral compounds in high doses, the red fruit also contains fairly complete essential vitamins and minerals.
Red fruit is known as a traditional medicine of Papua, which has been empirically proven as an alternative medicine to cure diseases like cancer, HIV/AIDS, tumors and hypertension. Besides Red Fruit, Papua is also rich in "Ant Nest" medicine that has been used by the public for several years in Asia and Europe.
Since early 2005 ant nest from Papua has been introduced to the public and to date a lot of people are still busily discussing its effectiveness to cure various diseases ranging from the mild ones such as headaches, rheumatism, nosebleeds, ulcers, gout and hemorrhoids to severe diseases such as tumors, cancer, liver, lung tuberculosis, kidney disorders, prostate, and coronary heart disease.
In addition, these anthill plants can enhance and accelerate the production of breast milk and restore the health of women after childbirth, increase stamina and as an aphrodisiac (increases sexual desire) even say that the content of flavonoids may control the development of herpes and HIV-AIDS.
Ant nests are actually plants from Hydnophytinae (Rubiaceae) which are associated with ants. These plants are epiphytes, meaning attached to other plants, not a parasite living on the host but merely use it to stick. According to Yunus Paelo, there were more than 70 kinds of medicinal plants with 62 genera and 37 families in the district.
Most of them were being cultivated by the local people and the rest was still growing in the wild such as Mucuna pruriens for Parkinson disease, Solanum nigrum for digestive problems, Rhododendron macgregoriae to fight bacteria, and many more. Yunus expressed hope that the medicinal plants in Jayawijaya could be conserved, developed, and introduced to the public at large at home and abroad.
Source : kompas
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