Sumardi makes herbal brews to ward off bird flu virus
Sumardi makes herbal brews to ward off bird flu virus
Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang
Avian influenza endangers not only poultry, but also human lives. Three people in Indonesia have died after being infected by the bird flu virus, with an additional case occurring just recently.
Between 2003 and 2004, 16.23 million head of poultry have died because of this lethal virus. Thousands of quails have died Boyolali, Central Java this year as the bird flu virus spread to this region from the Asian continent.
In Central Java alone, 8.17 million head of poultry, comprising layer chickens, broiler chickens, free-range chickens and quails, died in the period 2003-2004. Thousands poultry farmers, both small- and large-scale, have sustained huge losses.
Sumardi, 42, a researcher at the Food Technology School of Semarang's Soegijapranata Catholic University, has come up with some good news for poultry breeders. In July this year he found an effective formula to prevent the spread of the virus.
His formula is basically made up of four medicinal plants that are often used in Javanese traditional herbal medicine: Java chili powder (Piper retrofractum), white turmeric extract (Curcuma xanthorriza), temu ireng extract (Curcuma aeruginosa) and the powder of fragrant wild ginger (Zingiber aromaticum). Sumardi mixed these four basic materials with honey bees, cane sugar (as a natural preservative) and some water, used to dissolve all the ingredients.
He said that it was only by chance that he had found this particular formula against the bird flu virus.
"Four years ago, my elder brother, Edi Sutrisno, and I set up Bina Kawula Mandiri Foundation in Tayu district, Pati regency, Central Java. We intended to help rural people in raising cows and goats. To boost the growth of cattle, we prepared a concoction made of the powder of temu ireng and white turmeric to improve their appetite," he said.
Tayu, which is located in the northern coastal area of Java, is an area where strong winds often blow, causing many cows and goats to become sick.
Sumardi talked this over with Bante Suddhamo, a Thai Buddhist monk staying in a monastery in Lasem, East Java. The monk advised him to mix his concoction with the powder of Java chili and the extract of fragrant wild ginger.
"Our modified concoction worked well. No more cattle became sick because of the strong winds," he said.
Other cattle breeders heard of this news and wanted to give this modified concoction to their cattle. Sumardi gave his modified formula to these breeders free of charge.
At the same time, a lecturer at the school of animal husbandry at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Gatot Murdjito, heard of what Sumardi had done and asked that this concoction, with honey bee added to it, also be given to pigs. This herbal concoction worked well with pigs, so Sumardi and Edi began to sell it.
"Until then I had no idea that our formula could be used against bird flu. On July 24, 2005, I tried this formula with 400 two-day-old chicks, which were placed close to the carcasses of chickens that had died of bird flu somewhere in East Java. Obviously, I could not get the original H5NI virus (Avian influenza virus) for my experiment. I divided these chicks into four groups of 100 each. The first group was given no medicine at all."
"The second group was given a low dose (10 percent) of the medicine. A moderate dose of 20 percent was given to the third group and a high dose of 30 percent to the fourth group," Sumardi said.
On the fourth day, some of the chicks in the first group had died but all the chicks in the other three groups were still in good condition. On the ninth day, all the chicks in the first group had died while all the other chicks in the other three groups remained healthy.
From this experiment, Sumardi learned that his formula, which was intended to fatten cattle, could ward off bird flu virus. Then an acquaintance of his, a staffer of the agricultural minister, told the minister about Sumardi's experiment. In August, the herbal concoction prepared by Sumardi and Edi, who is only a graduate of a technical secondary school, was tested at the Veterinary Center in Wates, Yogyakarta.
"I took a dozen 22-day-old chicks. When I got there, many people laughed at me. About 50 other people had come there to have their formulas tested but none of these formulas worked effectively against the bird flu virus. Of course, I, too, had my pessimism," he said.
In this laboratory test, each chick was given 4 million units of avian influenza virus. During this test, Sumardi continued to feed his herbal medicine to the chicks. The result was indeed surprising. None of these chicks died. Clearly, the formula prepared by Sumardi and his brother, Edi, appeared to be effective in weakening the virus and helping the chicks develop antibodies it.
"The test was not over yet. I separated six chicks and gave them no herbal medicine. The other chicks continued to get their medicine. These six chicks later died. My conclusion was that when the concoction is given to a chick and then undergoes a process in the body of the chick it will be effective against the virus," he said.
Now Sumadi has got three patents for his formulas. The first patent is for his cattle-fattening brew, and the second is for his formula for fattening pigs, cows, chickens and goats (a mixture of four ingredients: white turmeric, temu ireng, Java chili and fragrant wild ginger). The third patent is for the technique of extracting Java chili and fragrant while ginger. "I'm waiting for the fourth patent for my formula against the bird flu virus," he said.
Sumardi now sells his herbal medicines. A small bottle (140 cc) of non-bird-flu brew is sold for Rp 12,500. A large bottle (550 cc) of this concoction is available for Rp 35,000. His anti bird flu medicine is sold for Rp 20,000 (small bottle) and Rp 60,000 (large bottle). So far, his medicines are available only in Central Java and Yogyakarta.
"The medicine is intended for healthy chickens and must be given to the chickens every day. A spoonful of the concoction is enough for 250 adult chickens, or 1,000 chicks," he added.
Sumardi stressed that his medicines were not intended to cure chickens already infected by bird flu. It was intended to prevent chickens from being infected by the virus. "Please note that this medicine is not for human consumption even though Javanese people often use the basic materials of this medicine to relieve fatigue," he added.