IPB University Lawalata Collects 99 Types of Medicinal Plants in Tapos Village
Lawalata of IPB University is a nature lover student association that has a scientific adventure slogan in which its activities cover scientific research which produces outputs. One of the activities is an expedition. "Expedition has an important role in the formation of student characters because the process is long and requires consistency," said Beginer Subhan, Head of Sub Directorate for Character Development, Directorate of Student Affairs and Career Development (Ditmawa) of IPB University.
Results of the annual IPB University Lawalata expedition are published through expedition seminar. This year the seminar was held in the Andi Hakim Nasution Auditorium, Saturday (5/10). Three expeditions were published, namely the Putri Bahari Expedition which studied the Palu Bay after the tsunami, the Lentera Putussibau Expedition which examined the potential of karst areas in Betung Kerihun National Park, and the Ethnophytomedical Study. The seminar was also attended by the Head of the Central Office of Betung Kerihun National Park and Lake Sentarum, and the makers of the traditional medicines in Tapos Village, Bogor.
The ethnophytomedical study was an expedition that studied the use of traditional medicines in Tapos Village, Bogor. In addition to formulating medicines and collecting medicinal plants with the community, the study team also conducted environmental education to school students in Tapos Village, Bogor. "We found 99 types of medicinal plants used by the villagers, 48 of which were planted in the house yard for direct consumption or formulated into traditional medicine," explained Salma Zubaidah, Chairperson of IPB University Lawalata.
Humans must be in harmony with nature by taking advantage and providing benefits to it. A professor of the Faculty of Forestry, IPB University, Prof Dr Ir Ervizal A.M. Zuhud, MS, said that medicinal plants have the potential to be developed because Indonesia has a variety of endophytic microbes that provide many benefits. "Traditional medicine is inexpensive and effective to cure diseases; thus, the information on this needs to be disseminated to the public. For the future activities, better preparation will be carried out to give more important information to the general public," said Haryanto R. Putro as the supervisor of IPB University Lawalata. (*/zsp)
