Universitas Indonesia (UI), through the Faculty of Pharmacy (FF), together with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) inaugurated the Baduy Tribe’s medicinal plant garden on Tuesday, February 25, as a form of implementation of the cooperation agreement signed in July 2024. The garden, which is intended to support the improvement of local natural resources, was built on the endowment land of the Spirit Membangun Ukhuwah Islamiyah (YASMUI) Foundation.
Vice Dean for Education, Research, and Student Affairs FFUI, Prof. Dr. apt. Fadlina Chany Saputri, M.Si., representing the Dean of FFUI, said that this program not only improves the health of the Baduy people, but also empowers skills in managing the surrounding natural resources. “This collaboration is expected to contribute to the community, especially in developing the local economy through high-value natural products,” she said.
According to the Head of the FFUI Community Service Program, Prof. Dr. apt. Berna Elya, M.Si., the initiative to establish a medicinal plant garden emerged because the Baduy people prefer natural medicine over chemical medicine. In its implementation, the Baduy people are involved in planting traditional medicinal plants consisting of lemongrass, turmeric, temulawak, cat’s whiskers, betel leaves, moringa, and katuk.
She said, “The initiation of this medicinal plant garden supports the Baduy people who have long relied on natural medicine. We hope that this program can improve public health, create economic opportunities, and provide sustainable benefits for the Baduy people.”
Medicinal plant gardens were built in two villages in Leuwidamar District, namely Kanekes Village and Bojong Menteng Village. In Kanekes Village, the area around the greenhouse, which functions to plant and produce plant seeds—is planted with job’s tears and seven other medicinal plants. The land adjacent to residents’ houses is also used to plant these plants. Meanwhile, in Bojong Menteng Village, a special garden is planted with job’s tears.
In this cultivation, job’s tears, which are the staple food of the Baduy people, are the most widely planted plants. This plant contains low-glycemic carbohydrates that are good for diabetics. It functions to help smooth the urinary tract and reduce swelling. Currently, the processing of hanjeli is still limited to traditional methods. For this reason, the Community Service Team handed over an automatic grinding machine so that hanjeli can be processed into staple foods and products with high sales value.
In the future, FFUI and TİKA will continue to work together to develop a typical Baduy medicinal plant garden to improve the health and economy of the local community. TİKA Vice President, Dr. Ümit Naci Yorulmaz, hopes that the collaboration between FFUI and TİKA can be expanded to various programs and activities, so that the initiatives that are born have a direct impact on the Baduy community.
