Materia Medica Malaysiana

Herbs with medicinal value making impact

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 15:
Unknown to many Malaysians, the pegaga herb (Centella asiatica) and meng- kudu fruit (Morinda citrifolia) are making waves locally and abroad because of their medicinal benefits.

In the old days, the pegaga was used to detoxify blood and improve skin conditions, with research on the pegaga in 1949 showing the plant's success in accelerating the healing of inflammation on leprosy sores and ulcers. Its other medical uses include treating skin diseases, asthma, hypertension, poor appetite, poor blood circulation, kidney stones and leg cramps.

It is also said to improve memory retention. The mengkudu is said to be effective in treating hypertension, diabetes, stomach aches and improving vitality.

Several companies nationwide are beginning to realise the business potential of these herbs and are sell- ing them to foreign markets. Konsortium Pasifik Sama Sdn Bhd (KPS) is one company that sells these indigenous herbs, which are also found in Sabah.

They are sold at local pharmacies and retailers, and through the Internet to foreign markets. KPS is a joint venture company involving the Sabah Institute for Small and Medium Enterprises, a private sector group, and Creative Business Services Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Institute for Development Studies Sabah.

They started selling six locally-produced natural products — mengkudu juice, capsules and hair and body shampoo as well as pegaga tea and pegaga and tongkat ali capsules — five years ago.

Although the company suffered setbacks due to the global economic downturn and the Iraq invasion, business is picking up.

"We are getting orders from the United States, Scotland, Middle East, Australia and South Korea.

"We cannot afford advertising or marketing campaigns, so we rely on retailers, pharmacies and the Internet to promote our business," said KPS general manager Mary Sintoh. She said the company planned to diversify its products by taking advantage of the State's abundant resources.

According to her, the herbs are taken from the wild in Sabah, while those in Peninsula Malaysia are mostly cultivated.

The products are available in 31 retail outlets in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.

Prices range from about RM12 for hair and body shampoo and teabags to about RM40 for a bottle of pegaga capsules and mengkudu juice.