This article reviews the chemical constituents and bioactivities of several Indonesian plants typically used in Jamu prescriptions in Indonesia. Jamu is Indonesia traditional medicine: it consists of either a single ingredient or a mixture of several medicinal plants. One plant family always used in Jamu is Zingiberaceae (ginger), such as Curcuma domestica/C. longa, C. xanthorrhizae, C. heyneana, C. zedoaria, C. aeruginosa, Zingiber aromaticum, Alpinia galanga. We also report other commonly used plant families such as Justicia gendarussa and Cassia siamea, whose activities have been extensively explored by our department.

Background Interactions between humans and diseases for a long time have encourage people to construct concepts related to the disease and create strategies to prevent and treat the disease. The aim of this study is to document philosophy and practice of ethnomedicine of Tetun ethnic people in the prevention and treatment of malaria. Methods This research was a field study using ethnobotany and anthropology approaches. It was conducted among the Tetun people who settled in the Belu and Malaka districts from April to December 2017. A total of 94 informants consists of public healer, home healer and traditional medicine users were involved in semi-structured interviews and discussions. Results Tetun ethnic has local knowledge that malaria is caused by naturalistic factors that affect the hot–cold balance in the body. Prevention and treatment of malaria are intended to maintain and restore the hot–cold balance in the body. They use various local medicinal plants for the treatment of malaria, by drinking, bathing, massage, inhalation and cataplasm. Plants used have been proven scientifically to have pharmacological activity as true antimalarials and/or indirect antimalarials. Conclusion Ethnomedicine practice of Tetun people on malaria is proven to contain scientific truth, although it is built on the basis of concepts that are different or even contrary to the true etiology of malaria.

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Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires regular and sustainable health management that involves proper treatment. Some diabetic patients use CAM, as well as conventional medicine, to maintain their health and control their blood sugar. This literature review aimed to 1) determine the prevalence of CAM used by patients with diabetes, summarize and evaluate the CAM use that includes: characteristics, patterns, types and reasons, 2) propose a conceptual model associated with CAM used by patients with diabetes. Systematic reviews were searched using an electronic database. The systematic reviews were published between 2005 and 2015 by using specific keywords. The number of systematic reviews obtained as a search result is 14 articles from 14 countries. The prevalence of CAM used by patients with diabetes ranged from 16.6% to 76%. Determinants associated with the CAM use were age, gender, family income, occupation, residence, and the characteristics of the disease, such as the length of time since diagnosed and complications. Most patients used CAM, along with the conventional treatment, and did not inform health professionals about the CAM use. The CAM use by patients with diabetes was relatively high and the confidence of patients believed the benefits of CAM. Therefore, integration with health professionals to develop CAM management is highly required.

BackgroundPhytoestrogens have a high potential to overcome the neuroinflammation caused by estrogen deficiency. Marsilea crenata Presl. is a plant known to contain phytoestrogens. This research aimed to report the activity of a 96% ethanol extract of M. crenata leaves in inducing activation of microglia HMC3 cell to M2 polarity, which has anti-inflammatory characteristics.MethodsThe study was done by culturing microglia HMC3 cell in 24-well microplate and inducing it with IFN-γ for 24 h to activate the cell to M1 polarity, which has proinflammatory characteristics. The 96% ethanol extract was added with various doses of 62.5, 125, and 250 ppm. Genistein, 50 μM, was used as a positive control. The analysis of the immunofluorescence of Arginase-1 (Arg1) and ERβ as markers was done using a convocal laser scanning microscope.ResultsThe result of Arg1 shows a significant difference in Arg1 expression in the microglia HMC3 cell line between the negative control and all treatment groups at p < 0.05, with the best result at 250 ppm, whereas for ERβ, the results show, at doses of 125 and 250 ppm, that the 96% ethanol extract of M. crenata leaves decrease the activated ERβ expression at p < 0.05, with the best result at 250 ppm. The Arg1 and activated ERβ expression have a weak negative relationship with the Pearson correlation test.ConclusionsThe 96% ethanol extract of M. crenata leaves has an antineuroinflammation activity through the induction of Arg1 and activated ERβ expression in microglia HMC3 cell, with the best dose at 250 ppm.