By: Nurul Ezzaty Mohd AZHARI
Photo: Noor Azreen Awang

SERDANG, July 11 - The Universiti Putra Malaysia Alumni Association (PAUPM) organised a seminar and exhibition on 'Herbs for Health and Healing' to highlight the potential development of the herbal industry in Malaysia.

The president of PAUPM, Dato' Raihan Sharif said that the main objective of this seminar was to raise awareness about the benefits of herbs available in Malaysia and their potential in the recovery of some diseases.

"This programme provided a platform for interaction between stakeholders in the herbal industry and assistance to the government and its agencies in enacting and implementing policies towards achieving the growth of the herbal industry in Malaysia.

"Although modern medicine is widely used for treatment, traditional herbs are also increasingly recognised in treating diseases. Tropical rainforests in Malaysia also offer a variety of herbs, and the production of herbal products for medicine has been incorporated into our national development agenda," he said.

Deputy Director General of Health (Research and Support), Datuk Dr. Nurfariza Ngah, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 80 percent of the world's population uses herbal-based medicine.

"However, the use of herbs as an alternative medicine should be controlled to prevent any undesirable outcomes.

"There are herbal medicine manufacturers who use prohibited and hazardous chemicals to achieve desired effects, but the use of such substances is not safe," she said while officiating the seminar at the Rashdan Baba Auditorium, UPM, here today.

She explained that the Ministry of Health takes the matter seriously, and all medicines that are to be marketed should have the approval of the Ministry of Health.

"As a step forward, the Ministry of Health has launched a world-leading Research Framework for 'Traditional & Complementary Medicine' (T&CM) along with herbal medicine research guidelines last April.

"WHO defines traditional medicine as encompassing knowledge and skills, the practice of certain theories, beliefs, and local experiences in certain cultures. Traditional medicine is now regulated under the T&CM 2016 Act (Act 775)," he said.

Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Exchange Ceremony was held between PAUPM and Herbagus which was witnessed by UPM Vice Chancellor Dato' Prof. Dr. Mohd Roslan Sulaiman, and Deputy Director General of Health (Research and Support), Datuk Dr. Nurfariza Ngah. -UPM

Date of Input: 12/07/2023 | Updated: 14/07/2023 | hairul_nizam