Materia Medica Malaysiana

New FRIM test can verify quality of herbal products

KUALA LUMPUR: The quality of local traditional herbal products can now be verified with a procedure that identifies the “unique” compound in them.
Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Razak Mohamad Ali said the method would ensure that products were standardised and easier to market overseas.
“The problem with traditional medicine is that it has multiple compounds and, therefore, makes it difficult to standardise.
“With this procedure, we can identify the marker that is the unique compound to that particular product,” he said yesterday.
FRIM has used its one-stop proteomic kit to separate the protein map of the water-soluble extract of Eurycoma Longifolia Jack (Tongkat Ali) for use as a standard reference for quality control.
Other “markers” that have been produced include that for pegaga and Kacip Fatimah.
“So, when we compare the product to this it will be evident whether the medicine has been adulterated or whether the quantity is different from what is claimed,” he added.
The method, he said, would make it easier for consumers and businessmen to know whether they were obtaining quality products.
Reports of the results will be issued within a month after receiving the extract.
Analysis includes comparison to the standard protein map of Tongkat Ali that FRIM has developed.
He said FRIM was also equipped to carry out other services for the herbal industry, including those concerning bio-resources, chemistry, essential oils, antioxidant evaluation, quality control and herbal processing technology.
Dr Rasadah Mat Ali, medicinal plants programme director of the FRIM biotechnology division, said the division was also in the process of compiling a chemical library where compounds that had been isolated would be stored for research and reference.
Other projects at the division include developing chemical markers and having an extracts library.