Curcuma Native Indonesian Medicinal Plants

Temulawak (Curcuma xanthorrhiza), a medicinal plant belonging to the tribe of findings (Zingiberaceae), is one of the leading medicinal plants that has multifunctional properties. Dr Roy Sparringa, Head of the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM RI), said that from around 900 traditional medicinal products registered in Indonesia, most of them contain ginger.

“This Temulawak is native to Indonesia. Although the plants spread throughout the world, but curcuminoid and xanthorrizol oil from Indonesian ginger are the most sought after,” Roy said, as reported by kompas.com.

Today’s flagship ginger is Cursina 3, which as quoted from the website R & D.deptan.go.id, is the result of individual selection from Majalengka. This variety has the form of oblong elliptic leaves, rather cone shaped rhizomes, light brown skin, dark orange yellow flesh, with a weight per clump of 600 gr-1,200 gr.

The average production of rhizomes is 21 tons to 31 tons. The advantages of this variety have curcumin levels of 5.22 percent, essential oils 6.47 percent, xanthorizol 0.97 percent, starch 48.9 percent, ash 5.74 percent, fiber 2.51 percent. Production that can be achieved is 21 tons-31 tons / ha. This ginger variety has the potential to be developed commercially for industrial raw materials and herbal medicine.

The benefits of ginger that have been scientifically proven include anti-inflammation, maintaining liver function, increasing appetite, and reducing fat in the blood.

“In addition to liver, curcumin in ginger can be used for inflammation. Patients with osteoarthritis can be reduced by pain with ginger,” said Indah Yuning Prapti, Head of the Indonesian Ministry of Health’s Research Center for Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine.

Curcuma plants according to Wikipedia, come from Indonesia, especially Java. At present, most of the comedy encounters are in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. This plant besides in Southeast Asia can also be found in China, Indochina, Barbados, India, Japan, Korea, the United States, and several European countries.

Temulawak is a name commonly used in Java, while in Sunda it is called koneng gede, while Madura is called labak meeting.

This plant, can grow well in the lowlands to an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level, and berhabitat in tropical forests. Sprout rhizome can grow and develop well on loose soil.

This plant has artificial trunk, and its habitus can reach a height of 2 – 2.5 meters. The leaves of the ginger plant are long and rather wide. The length of the leaves is around 50 – 55 cm, the width is approximately 18 cm, and each leaf is attached to the leaf stalks which cover each other regularly. Elongated lanceolate leaves with dark green color with brown lines.

Sprout meeting plants can flower continuously throughout the year alternately. The color of the flower is generally yellow with dark yellow petals, and the base of the flower is purple.

The temu lawak rimpang is shaped like an egg, and is large, while the branch rhizomes are on the side with an elongated shape. Each plant has branches between 3-4 fruits. The color of branch rhizomes is generally younger than the parent rhizome. The skin color is rhizome when it is young and old yellow, or reddish brown. The flesh color of the old yellow or orange rhizome, with a very bitter taste, or reddish brown has a sharp smell, and the fragrance is medium.

Rhizomes are formed in the soil at a depth of approximately 16 cm. Root rooting systems including root roots. In Indonesia the only part that is used is rimpang temu lawak to be made jamu godok