Sabah, China explore medicinal herb development

Borneo Post

11 hours ago

Frankie (eighth from right), Clarence (ninth from right) and the visiting delegation at Firewood Protected Forest in Kampung Sugud, Penampang.
KOTA KINABALU (Aug 7): Sabah-China Chamber of Commerce president Datuk Frankie Liew and two China entrepreneurs, Yang Bin and Hou Guoqiang, visited the Firewood Protected Forest in Kampung Sugud, Penampang on Wednesday to conduct an on-site inspection and discuss the potential for developing traditional China medicinal herbs in the area.
Liew arranged for the China investment delegation to visit Sabah for an on-site exploration of collaborative development in traditional herbal medicine, upon the invitation of Datuk Seri Panglima Clarence Bongkos Malakun JP, chairman of the ITCC Shopping Mall in Penampang.
Clarence and his wife, Datin Seri Panglima Sylvia Wong Malakun, welcomed Liew and his delegation at the Firewood Protected Forest site at 9am, before proceeding with a field inspection.
Clarence stated that the protected forest area covers approximately 1,000 acres and is suitable for the cultivation and development of medicinal herbs.
According to studies, over 300 types of medicinal herbs have already been identified in the area, including local varieties of ginseng and other herbal plants.
Based on available data, the primary forest type in the Sugud Firewood Protected Area is the Lowland Mixed Dipterocarp Forest (LMDF), characterized by a rich variety of plant species. These include genera such as Shorea, Dryobalanops, Dipterocarpus, Anisoptera, Syzygium, Koompassia, Tetracera and Hopea.
This type of forest is home to many tree species of significant economic value, such as Seraya/Meranti (Shorea spp.), Kapur (Dryobalanops spp.), Keruing (Dipterocarpus spp.), and Mersawa/Pengiran (Anisoptera spp.), which are highly prized for their valuable timber.
The potential for medicinal plant resources in the Sugud Firewood Protected Area is currently under preliminary study. The aim is to fully document the current status, distribution, diversity and efficacy of the medicinal plants within the reserve.
In addition to traditional knowledge passed down through generations before the advent of modern medicine, Sabah and Malaysia as a whole have undertaken extensive research to explore the applications of traditional medicine, especially herbal remedies.
Although a significant amount of data has been collected, it remains incomplete and lacks an accessible, comprehensive compilation of results.
Forests are a vital reservoir of medicinal compounds, offering a rich and diverse array of natural substances with potential applications in pharmaceuticals and health supplements. It is noteworthy that around 25% of modern Western medicines are derived from rainforest plants. Given that less than 5% of tropical forest plant species have been studied for their potential medicinal value, this statistic highlights the immense untapped potential.
Both lowland and montane mixed Dipterocarp forests — of which the Sugud Firewood Protected Area is an example of the latter — are prime habitats for a wide range of recognized medicinal plants and herbs.
Yang Bin, director of the Foshan Liaison Office of the Sabah-China Chamber of Commerce, stated in an interview that this is his fifth visit to Sabah and emphasized that Sabah has great development potential.
Yang Bin, who is also president of Foshan Meichenhui Cultural Arts Co., Ltd., said that many enterprises in Foshan, China are keen to expand overseas, and Sabah is their top choice.
He added that China herbal medicine has strong development potential, noting that China has a long-standing history in traditional medicine.
With the China government actively supporting the development of traditional medicine enterprises, he and his associates will explore opportunities to develop China herbal medicine in Sabah upon returning to China.
Meanwhile, Hou Guoqiang, president of Foshan Juanqiang Steel Structure Engineering Co., Ltd., noted in an interview that steel materials have strong potential for development in Sabah, especially in the construction of factories, roads and bridges. He emphasized that their technical capabilities are a key strength.