Search

Malaysian herbs, Averrhoa Bilimbi, and Flos Lonicerae, are widely known in traditional Chinese medicine. Both are used as natural remedies for jaundice treatment in newborns. Formulating herbal bath soap by the saponification method is proposed because newborn babies are poor feeders. Today, a lot of chemicals are used in soap production. Users will have a wide range of issues due to chemicals like parabens and triclosan. As a result, soap is made from herbs without chemicals. This herbal soap uses two herbs, Averrhoa Bilimbi leaf and Flos Lonicerae. Paper journals examining these herbs’ physicochemical properties are scarce in Malaysia. After the herbal soap has been successfully created, it will be examined for its physicochemical properties. The antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (TPC), of Averrhoa Bilimbi leaf extract and Flos Lonicerae extract were all tested. The antibacterial activity, heavy metal and pH tests were also validated the suitability of this herbal soap for skin application. According to the findings, Averrhoa Bilimbi leaf extract had a TPC value of 24.49 mg GAE/g compared to 4.96 mg GAE/g for Flos Lonicerae extract. Averrhoa Bilimbi leaf required a slightly higher concentration of 0.0588 g/mL extract to inhibit 50% of the DPPH assay compared to Flos Lonicerae plant extract, which required 0.0315 g/mL. Since there was no evidence of any bacterial growth, the herbal soap was effective against all the tested bacterial strains. The heavy metal test showed the soap does not contain any lead, mercury or arsenic and exhibits a pH value which close to the range for suitable skin application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper shall first investigate the informatics areas and applications of the four Traditional Medicine systems - Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ayurveda, Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine and Traditional Malay Medicine. Then, this paper shall examine the national informatics infrastructure initiatives in the four respective countries that support the Traditional Medicine systems. Challenges of implementing informatics in Traditional Medicine Systems shall also be discussed.Methods: The literature was sourced from four databases: Ebsco Host, IEEE Explore, Proquest and Google scholar. The search term used was "Traditional Medicine", "informatics", "informatics infrastructure", "traditional Chinese medicine", "Ayurveda", "traditional Arabic and Islamic medicine", and "traditional malay medicine". A combination of the search terms above was also executed to enhance the searching process. A search was also conducted in Google to identify miscellaneous books, publications, and organization websites using the same terms.Results: Amongst major advancements in TCM and Ayurveda are bioinformatics, development of Traditional Medicine databases for decision system support, data mining and image processing. Traditional Chinese Medicine differentiates itself from other Traditional Medicine systems with documented ISO Standards to support the standardization of TCM. Informatics applications in Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine are mostly ehealth applications that focus more on spiritual healing, Islamic obligations and prophetic traditions. Literature regarding development of health informatics to support Traditional Malay Medicine is still insufficient. Major informatics infrastructure that is common in China and India are automated insurance payment systems for Traditional Medicine treatment. National informatics infrastructure in Middle East and Malaysia mainly cater for modern medicine. Other infrastructure such as telemedicine and hospital information systems focus its implementation in modern medicine or are not implemented and strategized at a national level to support Traditional Medicine.Conclusion: Informatics may not be able to address all the emerging areas of Traditional Medicine because the concepts in Traditional Medicine system of medicine are different from modern system, though the aim may be same, i.e., to give relief to the patient. Thus, there is a need to synthesize Traditional Medicine systems and informatics with involvements from modern system of medicine. Future research works may include filling the gaps of informatics areas and integrate national informatics infrastructure with established Traditional Medicine systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The herbal industry is a fast-growing industry worldwide with an estimated global annual market worth of more than US$60 billion (RM 251.1 billion). The growing trend in herbal industry is led by the increased demand in herbal supplements, health related functional food, herbs-based sports energy drinks and cosmeceuticals among others. The raw material demand by the industry for natural products, plant-based phytochemicals in crude or processed form are also on the rise and often driven by consumers perception of a safer and natural alternative to conventional products. High incidence of adverse drug interactions and long-term safety concerns with allophatic medicines use are also contributing factors to the shift in the demand for alternative medication, from traditional medication systems such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ayurveda, Kampo, Jamu to other folk medication systems. Malaysia’s strategic location with its vast biodiversity, multi-ethnic cultures, a strong governance and established research institutions of international standing, offers a unique combination for the development of a robust herbal industry as well as providing a good source of raw materials. Southeast Asians in general welcome alternative medications of TCM, Ayurveda, Jamu and others. Traditional medicine based on local herbs have long been widely practised in Malaysian households and regionally. This folk medication system can be sourced for potential lead ingredients as botanical drugs or phytomedicine medicines for therapeutic use for the prevention and management of specific illnesses through robust scientific research and development (R&D). Realising the blend of huge economic potential and local heritage in herbal knowledge, Malaysia has initiated the high value herbal products (botanicals) initiatives under the Economic Transformation Program (ETP) new key economic areas (NKEA) EPP1 which has been put under the governance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Malaysia. This program consolidates the researchers from local universities and the local research institutes, the herbal industrial players as well as the regulatory authorities to plan and execute the program. Under the EPP1 project, the main aim is to raise the scientific content of the herbal products of the local NKEA companies which can be considered as a path-breaker for the industry and the country. They are tasked to produce standardised high value herbal products through the R&D of the preclinical and clinical studies to generate the safety, quality and efficacy data in order to gain approval for health claims of the products. This paper draws on the status of the herbal industry and the EPP1 initiatives undertaken by NatureCeuticals Sdn Bhd (NC) as a case study. NC is one of the leading Biotechnology companies that the government had engaged to develop botanicals with high claims from pre-clinical to clinical studies. Highlights on NC’S several major issues and challenges confronted in implementing the project are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies have been an integral part of Malaysia culture for many centuries. In recent years influences from other parts of the world have gained a foot-hold in Malaysian popular culture. We investigated the engagement with CAM in a non-urban, Malaysian population. We investigated the association of CAM use with cultural influence, perceived health status, gender and age. We recruited 700 adult participants to this study across three sites in central Malaysia. We found massage, Vitamin supplements, Herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine to be the most popular CAM modalities with participation at 67.7%, 55.7%, 55.5% and 26.3% respectively. CAM use was equally high at 67% among those people who claimed a predominantly Malay or Chinese cultural influence. The use of vitamins and participation in yoga were at higher prevalence among female participants compared to males. There was no gender difference for other CAM modalities. There were differences between age groups for most CAM modalities, and those over 50 years tended to be the highest frequency users for most modalities. There is a high rate of CAM use in non-urban Malaysia with younger people being more engaged with less traditional modalities such as aromatherapy, yoga and music therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tri-step FT-IR fingerprints of Chuan-Mutong and Guan-Mutong are presented. • Machine learning classifiers were developed to distinguish between Chuan-Mutong and Guan-Mutong. • Comparison of machine learning classifier with PCA and PLS-DA was performed. • The proposed FT-IR with PLS-DA and machine learning classifier method was characterized by being simple, fast and reliable. Chuan-Mutong (Clemetis spp.) is a precious medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine that possesses various therapeutic effects especially well known for its diuretic effect and widely used in Malaysia. However, there were several reported Chinese herb nephropathy cases due to the adulteration of Aristolochia spp. found in combinational herbal regimen. Guan-Mutong (Aristolochia manshuriensis), which looks similar in appearance and has similar therapeutic effects as Chuan-Mutong, has the possibility to substitute the Chuan-Mutong. Therefore, there is a necessity to differentiate the types of Mutong using analytical authentication methods. In this paper, a rapid and accurate method is proposed to discriminate Chuan-Mutong from Guan-Mutong by using tri-step fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) identification approaches. The method involves the deployment of FT-IR, second derivative infrared spectra (SD-IR), and two-dimensional correlation infrared spectra (2D-IR). In our approach, FT-IR spectra of Chuan-Mutong and Guan-Mutong were subjected to discrimination using principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and machine learning classifiers (ML). Chuan-Mutong and Guan-Mutong can be clearly classified or discriminated against each other by ML, PLS-DA and PCA. The sensitivity, accuracy and specificity of ML were >90%, while the sensitivity, accuracy and specificity of PLS-DA were 100%. It is hence demonstrated that the infrared spectroscopic identification approach using PCA, PLS-DA and ML can be effectively used to differentiate Chuan-Mutong and Guan-Mutong. PLS-DA and ML provide a simple, fast, and high accuracy prediction to differentiate Chuan-Mutong and Guan-Mutong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible bird's nest (EBN) which is solidified swiftlet's saliva contains high nutritional value. It is widely consumed in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. However, previous proximate analysis of Malaysia EBN was not representative of all the regions in Malaysia. In recent years, safety issues such as high nitrate and nitrite contents, presence of heavy metal, adulteration, fungal infection, and cancer cell stimulation were associated with EBN. Hence, this study aimed to determine the proximate analysis, safety profile during normal weather and hazy periods, and its effect on cancer cells stimulation in Malaysia-farmed EBN. Seven raw cleaned EBN samples were sourced from 6 different regions in Malaysia. Proximate analysis and safety profile were performed using official AOCA methods and Malaysian Standard. High protein (53.03–56.37%) and carbohydrate content (27.97–31.68%) with an acceptable level of moisture (10.8–14.04%) and ash (2.22–3.38%) were reported. A good safety profile was obtained with low nitrite and nitrate levels, with undetectable heavy metals and no significant growth of pathogenic microorganism except mould. Epidermal growth factor was detected but below the quantification level with the chicken EGF ELISA kit. The microculture tetrazolium (MTT) assay was performed for growth stimulation assessment comparing human EGF and EBN. There was no significant cell growth observed in cancer cells after EBN treatment. In conclusion, EBN Malaysia has a good nutritional profile, free of heavy metals, and an acceptable level of nitrate, nitrite, and microorganism profile except for mould contents. Furthermore, the in vitro study indicated that EBN was not associated with cancer cell growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: More than 80% head and neck cancer patients endured radiotherapy-induced xerostomia which impacts their quality of life (QoL). This observational study evaluated the effect of herbal treatment on head and neck cancer patients' xerostomia and QoL.Methods: Head and neck cancer patients were recruited from July 2016 till March 2017 at National Cancer Institute, Ministry of Health, Malaysia. All study participants continued their standard oncology surveillance. Treatment group participants additionally received Chinese herbal treatment. The assessments included unstimulated salivary flow rate (USFR), stimulated salivary flow rate (SSFR), and QoL questionnaire.Results: Of 42 recruited participants, 28 were in the treatment group and 14 were in the control group. Participants were mainly Chinese (71.4%), stage III cancer (40.5%), and had nasopharynx cancer (76.2%). The commonly used single herbs were Wu Mei, San Qi, and Tian Hua Fen. Sha Shen Mai Dong Tang, Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, and Gan Lu Yin were the frequently prescribed herbal formulas. The baseline characteristics, USFR, SSFR, and QoL between control and treatment groups were comparable (p > 0.05). USFR between control and treatment groups were similar throughout the 6-month study period. SSFR for the treatment group significantly improved from 0.15 ± 0.28 ml/min (baseline) to 0.32 ± 0.22 ml/min (p = 0.04; at the 3rd month) and subsequently achieved 0.46 ± 0.23 ml/min (p = 0.001; at the 6th month). The treatment group had better QoL in terms of speech (p = 0.005), eating (p = 0.02), and head and neck pain (p = 0.04) at the 6th month.Conclusion: Herbal treatment may improve xerostomia and QoL in post-radiotherapy head and cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible bird nest (EBN) is a dried glutinous secretion from the salivary glands of swiftlet species commonly found in the Southeast Asian region, including Malaysia. It is consumed traditionally by the Chinese as food delicacy and also considered as an important ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine for its beneficial health effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of enzymatic hydrolysis using alcalase, papain and papaya juice hydrolyze at 0.5 to 3 hr on the degree of hydrolysis (DH), protein solubility, concentration of reducing sugar, antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic activity. In general, an increase in hydrolysis time increases the DH and soluble protein digestion rate. However, the concentration of reducing sugar was not affected by hydrolysis time. The solubility of proteins was highest for alcalase and papain at 3 h, while papaya juice at 2 h. Papain showed the highest antioxidant activity in 1 and 2 h of hydrolysis time whereas at 3 h, results for both papain and alcalase were higher compared to papaya juice. Result of anti-hyperglycemic activity showed that only EBN hydrolyzed using papaya juice has positive activity. Based on this study, enzymatic hydrolysis had improved the functional properties of EBN and results showed the potential of EBN to be developed as natural antioxidants and anti-hyperglycemic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. Although the problem-based learning (PBL) teaching method was introduced in 1969, its rapid and widespread application in Malaysia started in 1979. This study aimed to evaluate satisfaction with PBL compared to that of conventional learning, using satisfaction surveys and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scores, of students learning clinical acupuncture at the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Xiamen University Malaysia. Method. The participants of this study (N=36) were registered for a bachelor's degree program in TCM in 2016 and enrolled in the Science of Acupuncture and Moxibustion course beginning in September 2018. The students were randomly allocated into two groups: PBL group and conventional group. A self-administered learning satisfaction survey and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scores were used for data collection. An independent sample t-test was used to compare the results between the two groups. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results. The results of the learning satisfaction survey and Rosenberg Self-Esteem scores were significantly better in the PBL group than in the conventional group (p<0.05). Conclusions. PBL appears to be more effective for clinical acupuncture education than the conventional teaching method. However, further studies are needed to identify the mechanisms by which PBL excels in clinical acupuncture education, as well as other related TCM fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]