EduAsiaNews, Surakarta – The Indonesian Minister of National Development Planning/Head of the Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional (Bappenas), Rachmat Pambudy, officially inaugurated the Tropical Herbal Medicine Study Center of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta. The inauguration took place during the peak celebration of the university’s 50th Dies Natalis, held at the Auditorium G.P.H. Haryo Mataram on Wednesday (11 March 2026).
During the event, Prof. Rachmat expressed his appreciation for UNS’s capability to develop medicinal plant potential into high-quality capsule extracts.
He further noted that UNS has the capability to extract natural compounds from herbal plants and process them into capsule-based medicines. “We hope that UNS will not only become a national herbal center, but gradually expand its role to serve the regional level. In the future, UNS is expected to become part of the international development of herbal medicine,” Prof. Rachmat stated.
As a form of support, the government has provided assistance in the form of laboratory equipment, along with opportunities related to teaching and research in herbal medicine development.
“Earlier, the Minister of Higher Education provided various laboratory equipment and opportunities for educational development. This will not only increase the added value of natural resources but also enhance the development of human resources,” he added.
Prof. Rachmat further explained that Indonesia possesses more than 2,800 species of medicinal plants with the potential to produce natural medicines. UNS has the capacity to identify and utilize this potential to develop high-quality herbal medicines.
Moreover, the government hopes that this herbal center will serve as part of a downstreaming program for herbal medicine development, not only at the national level but also regionally and internationally.
Meanwhile, the Rector of Universitas Sebelas Maret, Hartono, explained that this initiative was encouraged by the Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi, Sains, dan Teknologi, the Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional, and the Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia.
“We have been appointed and officially inaugurated by the Minister of National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas to develop a center for tropical health medicine,” Prof. Hartono stated.
To support this initiative, UNS plans to construct a research and clinical testing facility for herbal plants. “God willing, we will build a facility dedicated to research as well as to improving hospital services. The UNS Hospital will serve as a site for clinical trials and related activities,” he explained.
Indonesia is home to approximately 30,000 species of herbal plants, of which 9,600 species have the potential to be utilized as medicinal resources.
According to Prof. Hartono, the development of herbal plants is a shared responsibility to ensure that their benefits can be widely enjoyed by society. “It is not merely about preservation, but about how we can elevate this potential so that it provides benefits for society, the nation, and the state—both in terms of health and economic value,” he concluded.
