Wrong Identification of Species Reaches 50 Percent, Hidden Disaster of West Java and National Herbal Industry

BOGOR - Indonesia's traditional herbal and herbal industry is now facing a serious threat behind its status as a megabiodiversity country. The high number of misidentification of misidentified medicinal plant species in traditional markets is suspected to undermine the reputation of local products in the international market.

Based on research data, the rate of misidentification of medicinal plant species, especially the genus Curcuma (turmeric) in traditional Asian markets, is now at an alarming figure, reaching 30 to almost 50 percent. This condition triggers a loud alarm for the future of national biodiversity management and management.

Staff of HCID SEAMEO BIOTROP, Dewi Rahmawati, revealed that the conventional methods that people have relied on to recognize medicinal plants such as looking at color, rhizome shape, and aroma are no longer adequate. Many closely related species have almost identical visual appearances, but have completely different active compound contents.

"Two rhizomes in the market may look the same. But behind the bluish color and the typical spice aroma, there are biological differences that determine the efficacy, safety, and even the economic value of a commodity. Protecting and utilizing biodiversity always starts from one basic thing, ensuring that we know exactly what we have down to the DNA level," said Dewi Rahmawati, Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

As a concrete example, Dewi pointed to the phenomenon of "black turmeric" trading in traditional markets. Many traders and buyers equate the two rhizomes, which are both dark blue in color. In fact, scientifically, they could be two different species, namely Curcuma caesiadan Curcuma aeruginosa.

This misidentification has a systemic impact on the modern herbal industry. In addition to triggering differences in efficacy and creating potential safety risks for consumers, this gap also nurtures the practice of adulteration and substitution of species at the supply chain level.

The impact also immediately hit the macro economic sector. Data from the International Trade Center (ITC) recorded global exports of Curcuma-based products continued to skyrocket to reach 2.3 billion US dollars with an annual growth of 18 percent.

Indonesia itself is one of the world's leading players who managed to ship more than 142,000 tons of Curcuma rhizomes. Ironically, only about 23 percent of the total export commodities have accurate species identification documentation. This inaccuracy is considered a weak point that undermines the competitiveness of Indonesian herbal products in the midst of strict global transparency demands.

In response to this challenge, SEAMEO BIOTROP is now pushing for the implementation of multi-locus DNA barcoding technology as a cutting-edge solution. This genetic marker technology works like a "biological fingerprint" that is able to distinguish medicinal plant types down to the species level with precision using a combination of markers such as rbcL, matK, psbK-psbI, and trnL-trnF.

The integration of this molecular technology is considered urgent to be immediately implemented in Indonesia, both as a screening tool for regulators such as BPOM and customs, as well as an audit standard for raw materials for the phytopharmaceutical industry.

In the future, Indonesia is required to immediately build an integrated national medicinal plant identification ecosystem. This DNA-based identification accuracy must be changed into a minimum operational standard, no longer just an additional option, in order to secure the sovereignty of traditional medicines as well as Indonesia's position in the global market.