There Are No Effective Herbal Medicines To Overcome COVID-19, Including Traditional Herbal Medicine

JAKARTA - Researchers from the Natural Medicines Research Association (Perhipba) Dr. apt. Yesi Desmiaty said, until now there has been no official Indonesian herbal medicine that can be used to fight the COVID-19 virus.

"COVID-19 has indeed changed all of us, including research that is now focused on solving this pandemic. Even with funds that have also been diverted to handling COVID-19," Yesi said in an online discussion reported by Antara, Tuesday, June 22.

Yesi said that currently only BPOM (Food and Drug Supervisory Agency) can trust and regulate drugs to ensure public safety in taking drugs.

"Right now, there are still no official herbs to deal with COVID. However, BPOM is accompanying approximately 14 prospective phytopharmaca products to fight COVID," he continued.

For information, phytopharmaca is one of three kinds of herbal medicines announced by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM).

Phytopharmaceuticals are natural medicines that have been scientifically proven to be safe and effective by means of preclinical tests (in experimental animals) and clinical trials (in humans), raw materials and finished products have been standardized.

There are also other kinds of herbal medicines in Indonesia, namely traditional medicines, which are ingredients or ingredients in the form of plants, animal materials, mineral materials, preparations of sarian (galenic) or a mixture of these materials, which have been used for generations for treatment. Jamu is a form of traditional medicine.

Furthermore, Standardized Herbal Medicines (OHT) are medicinal preparations of natural ingredients that have been scientifically proven to be safe and effective by preclinical testing (on experimental animals) and the raw materials have been standardized.

Although herbal medicine is still not an option to cure COVID-19, continued Yesi, herbal medicine can be used to maintain and maintain one's own health.

"We can take herbal medicine for ourselves, to maintain health and increase immunity, coupled with exercise, eating nutritious food, and living a good and healthy lifestyle," said Yesi.

Furthermore, herbal medicines can also be used to reduce symptoms such as coughs, flu, to maintain the body's condition from kormobid (comorbid diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and others).