Abstract:
In Papua, malaria is still a major health problem and one leading dead diseases. Number of factor contributes to higher prevalence of this endemic disease, such as undistributed health facilities and skilled workers, misunderstanding of malaria diseases, as well as lack of environmental management and control. This diseases is becoming serious, when it has been reported that the two malarias parasites, plasmodium falcifarum and plasmodium vivax, respectively, were being resistant from anti-malarial drugs recommended and available in the market today. Naturally, it has been widely acknowledged that medicinal plants from surrounding nature are the main sources of natural herbs or phytomedicine for us, and have been playing a key roles in keeping and maintaining our health since the ancient time. This paper highlights that 29 medicinal have been identified and used intensively by the indigenous people across Papua for anti-malarial phytomedicine. Amongst those medicinal plants, the most four utilized medicinal plants are Tali Kuning (Tinospora dissitiflora Diels), Akar Kuning (Arcanglesia flava (L.) Merr.), Kayu Susu (Alstonia scholaris Linn.), and Kayu Kuning (Nauclea orientalis (L.) L). Preparation of decoction from parts of these medicinal plants, such stems, and barks mostly using medium of hot-water and consumed when anti-malarial phytomedicine are taking place. Yellowish alkaloids, berberine and protoberberine groups represent dominant chemical constituents both in Tali kuning and Akar Kuning, whereas indole alkaloids were the major isolated secondary metabolite of Kayu Susu (bark and fruit) and kayu kuning (bark, wood and roots). With respect to complexity of the malarial symptoms, chemical constituents of phytomedicinal decoctions, as well as the successfully implementation of anti-malarial phytomedicine in several African countries. Therefore, it is soundly feasible to improve the utilization of these four most utilized medicinal plants for anti-malarial herbal/phytomedicinal products, mainly to develop the standardized products, treatments, and dosages.
