Medicinal plants remain important sources of health care, cultural identity, and pharmaceutical discovery. Indonesia provides an especially informative case study because its exceptional biological diversity intersects with a large and culturally diverse population and a long-standing tradition of jamu and other plant-based therapies. Recent synthesis of Indonesian ethnobotanical research identified 791 medicinal plant species across 91 studies, with 3,202 reported medicinal-use records, while also demonstrating substantial geographic and methodological gaps in the evidence base [1]. The therapeutic potential of Indonesian medicinal plants spans anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, metabolic, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, dermatological and other indications, but the level of evidence varies markedly from traditional use and laboratory studies to controlled clinical trials. Three representative Indonesian-relevant medicinal plants illustrate this evidence continuum: Andrographis paniculata (sambiloto), Orthosiphon aristatus (kumis kucing), and Curcuma longa (turmeric). A. paniculata has extensive pharmacological literature and clinical evidence for symptom relief in acute respiratory infections, as well as Indonesian clinical research in malaria and metabolic disease [2–5]. O. aristatus contains rosmarinic acid, sinensetin and other bioactive constituents and is traditionally used in urinary and metabolic disorders, although clinical evidence remains less mature [6,7]. Curcuma longa is deeply embedded in Indonesian traditional medicine and food culture, but therapeutic claims require careful distinction between traditional preparations and standardized curcuminoid products [8,9]. Indonesia has also developed a regulatory framework distinguishing empirical traditional medicines (jamu), standardized herbal medicines (Obat Herbal Terstandar; OHT), and phytopharmaceuticals (fitofarmaka). Current BPOM regulations require progressively stronger evidence and product standardization across these categories [10]. The central challenge is therefore not simply to identify plants with biological activity, but to translate ethnomedical knowledge into authenticated, standardized, reproducible, safe and clinically validated therapeutic agents. This review discusses the opportunities and limitations of that translation process and proposes a research and policy framework for Indonesia.
Keywords:medicinal plants; therapeutic agents; Indonesia; jamu; phytopharmaceuticals; ethnopharmacology; herbal medicine