UNAIR NEWS – Researchers from the Faculty of Pharmacy (FF) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) succeeded in creating an invention and gaining Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for their findings. The inventors are apt Tutik Sri Wahyuni MSi PhD, Prof Dr apt Aty Widyawaruyanti MSi, and Prof Dr apt Achmad Fuad Hafid MS.
The head of the research team, Tutik Sri Wahyuni MSi Ph.D., said that they conducted research on a method of making a standardized extract of Ruta Angustifolia. Later, this research can become a reference for the development of ruta plant extract as a standardized herbal product.
“Plants are a potential source in the search for medicine. Plants contain various metabolite compounds which play a role in providing certain properties,” she said.
Standardization of herbal medicine needed
Tutik explained that the obstacle in developing herbal medicines was the variation in plant content because plants have different places to grow and environmental conditions can affect the content of the compounds in them. Therefore, there is a need for a standardization process to guarantee the quality of herbal raw materials.
By standardizing the herbal raw materials, these materials will later be developed as herbal products and measure the content of the active compounds in them. It is an effort to guarantee the benefits provided by these herbal products.
“The research process begins by guaranteeing the accuracy of the plant material used through a plant determination process, then supported by macroscopic and microscopic analysis,” she explained.
Research process
She added that after the analysis, the extraction process was then carried out with a certain solvent. Evaluation of extracts within the framework of the standardization process includes determining specific and non-specific parameters. The determination of test parameters follows the Indonesian Herbal Pharmacopoeia reference.
Tutik hopes that this innovation can provide an overview of the process and information related to the R. angustifolia plant, especially in the process of making standardized extracts. It is also expected to be used as a basis for developing herbal products, both as standardized herbal medicines and phytopharmaceuticals.
“Currently, the herbal products on the market are very diverse. People need to pay attention when choosing high-quality and safe herbal products,” she said.
Author: Afrizal Naufal Ghani
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
