To support this initiative, the School of Pharmacy ITB collaborated with the Pharmacy Faculty from various universities in Indonesia, namely Universitas Bhakti Kencana (UBK), Universitas Hasanuddin (UNHAS), Universitas Mulawarman (UNMUL), and Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani (UNJANI) to organize The Asian Symposium on Medicinal Plants, Spices, and Other Natural Products (ASOMPS) 2023. The event took place from Thursday to Saturday (5-7/10/2023) at Sasana Budaya Ganesha, Tamansari Street, Bandung.

ASOMPS 2023 received support from the Ministry of Health, the Food and Drug Regulatory Agency (BPOM), and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). The event attracted 165 national participants and 23 international participants from 12 countries. This international-scale agenda also featured 3 keynote speakers, 16 plenary speakers, and 12 invited speakers from the national and international levels.

The professor of the Biology Pharmacy Research Group and the ASOMPS XVIII Chairman Prof. Dr. Elfahmi, S.Si., M.Si., stated that the symposium serves as a forum for researchers, experts, and enthusiasts of nature-based materials to exchange knowledge and science.

"ASOMPS is a scientific forum that brings together national and international experts. In this forum, experts can share various insights, from science to industry," he said.

He also mentioned that the development of science and technology supports research on natural product medicines in various aspects. Moreover, Indonesia is blessed with numerous herbal plants as sources.

"Indonesia has a long-standing traditional treatment system that is well-known for 'jamu' (Indonesian traditional medicine). Therefore, new inventions and research on herbal medicine and natural products play a crucial role," he stated.

He hopes that in the future, herbal medicine will be widely used by people not only as an alternative treatment but also as a daily product to maintain their health.

On the other hand, Dr. Barry Neil Noeler, a member of the International Advisory Committee of ASOMPS, mentioned that ASOMPS 2023 serves as an event to strengthen collaboration and networking among researchers, especially in Asia.

Dr. Barry stated that natural medicine has been at the core of scientific research for many years. With ASOMPS 2023, he hopes that universities and other educational institutions will actively promote the utilization of natural products, especially in the industry.

"In the future, universities can synergize with each other for the widespread utilization of natural products, particularly in the industry," he stated.

According to him, traditional medicine has been rapidly growing today. However, he hopes that researchers can continue to develop numerous innovations, especially in the technology related to herbal medicine utilization.

"In the future, researchers can continue to innovate and establish scientific practices in the utilization of natural products," he concluded.

Translator: Hanifa Juliana (Urban and Regional Planning, 2020)

Editor: Vera Citra Utami