Traditional medicines 'can cure illnesses'

JAKARTA (JP): An expert said on Monday that traditional medicines from natural products like plants can cure fatal diseases which synthetic medicines have been unable to fight.

Pharmacist Suprapto Ma'at from the Surabaya-based Wisnuwardhana Cancer Foundation in East Java said about 25 percent of all diseases in the world could not be cured by synthetic medicines.

"That's why the people, even in developed countries like the United States and Germany, now turn to traditional medicines," Suprapto told a seminar on the benefits of traditional medicine for cancer patients.

"Research conducted in several countries, including in our foundation, show that medicines made from traditional plants are capable strengthening one's immune system, reducing complications, increasing life expectancy and easing the pain caused by cancer," he said.

Data shows that the United States spend some US$80 billion for traditional medicines per year, he said.

Apricot kernel or mistletoe for example, Suprapto said, has been used in cancer treatment in Germany, the Netherlands and the United States.

"As the second natural resource rich country in the world after Brazil, we have a huge potential in developing medicines from plants," he said.

Unfortunately, Suprapto said, traditional medicines in Indonesia has only been used as a household remedy.

He said only a few traditional medicines have been used in the formal health service.

"Besides, due to a lack of research and tests, it's also not easy to convince doctors to believe in traditional medicines as most doctors here are educated in the western system," Suprapto said.

The Wisnuwardhana foundation has been developing traditional medicines from plant and animal products for years, especially since one of its founders Asmino was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1988.

"Asmino, who doctors said would only have 10 months to live, apparently lived another 11 years, thanks to traditional medicines such as shark cartilage," he said.

Suprapto said there were many plants which can cure cancers, some were common plants found everywhere.

"Kunyit (turmeric), for example, is an antioxidant and antitumoral, while garlic can also be used as an antioxidant and imunostimulator," he said.

The foundation has been developing some 23 traditional medicines from plants for two years now, which are made into capsules or tablets.

"Those tablets are sold very cheaply, not more than Rp 700 (8 cents) per tablet," Suprapto said.

The obstacles in developing such medicines, he added, was the lack of scientific data on the medicines.

"The pharmaceutical industry is not interested in investing in traditional medicines, saying the products cannot compete with synthetic drugs," he said.

Whereas the traditional medicines, he said, can be very profitable as there are numerous resources here in Indonesia. (09)