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WHAT was once a herb, reserved for Chinese mothers in confinement, could one day become the hottest item in the form of jam and jelly confections on the shelves of supermarkets and shops.
Kacangma — leonurus sibiricus linn, Chinese motherwort, or yi mu cao in mandarin) — has been consumed for centuries by Sarawakians as a herbal medicine or herbal food but only now are there serious efforts to tap its commercial value.
A must for Chinese mothers, kacangma, usually cooked with chicken, is widely eaten by all the communities in the state and has became one of the local popular culinary ingredients.
It is believed to be effective in a few ways as not only does it improve blood circulation, reduce body pain or discomfort but also help to hasten the contraction of uterus after delivery.
For the past few years, the role of kacangma as an under-utilised herb with potential economic values has been recognised by the Agriculture Ministry and consequently, efforts to reassess and re-evaluate its values including to develop products with commercial significance, followed.
A recent visit to Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (Mardi) was a rather educational expedition as it widened the typical mindset society had about the herb.
According to Mardi food processing and product development programme, senior research officer Chua Hun Pin, the herb, a herbaceous shrub from the mint family, originated from China.
“Sarawak did not have such species (the herb). It is believed when the Chinese came to this country they brought along this wonderful plant with them,” Chua told thesundaypost.
He said another interesting discovery was how kacangma should be pronounced.
“There are different versions. It does not mean peanuts or beans from the word kacang-ma. As it was introduced by the Hakkas, one of the possible pronounciations could be ka-cangma … meaning to add with ginger for better effect,” Chua explained.
Kacang in Bahasa Malaysia means peanut.
On efforts to increase the herb’s utilisation by developing it into various special herbal products commercial value, he said kacangma herbal tea was the first product launched in the market since last year.
According to him, a basic research was conducted after he submitted his proposal in 2001 which was approved the following year with a total sum of RM200,000 in federal research grant.
“I managed to complete the project in 2005 and had the technology transfer in 2006 for the herbal tea to be manufactured,” he said, pointing out that the reluctance of local manufacturers to accept this development had hampered the introduction of other related potential products in the market.
He asserted that products derived from innovations at the research stage were jelly, jam, canned chicken in kacangma herbal soup, stok cube and cooking paste apart from herbal tea. However, at this stage, only tea is marketed and not the rest.
Chua stressed that the herbal tea could be safely regarded as the first local product to be experimented in a toxicology test.
“When conducting the research, one of the main concerns was actually the issue of over usage because people have the tendency to consume certain items a few times a day (if not in a large quantity) which amounts to overdose,” he said.
“Through the toxicology test, we managed to come out with the safest dosage … even for frequent consumption.”
He explained that lab animals like mice and rabbits would be fed with different formulae containing various dosage of kacangma (in accordance with World Health Organisation procedure).
The toxicology test acted as a safeguard before the herbal tea was launched in the market, he said.
Chua added that another potential item (for non-food product) was essential oil.
“In fact, we could even extract essential oil from kacangma. We all know it could be used for therapeutic purposes. However, the recovery after processing is very low which makes it unlikely to be on the production list.”
On health benefits associated with the plant, he said the latest study showed kacangma could also be eaten by men as it would lower blood pressure.
“Furthermore, I learn Singapore is treating kacangma as an anti-cancer herb.”
Other countries using kacangma as a herb remedy include Japan and especially Tibet where it is applied on the skin to ease insect bites.
Chua hoped that kacangma (and its related potential herbal products), although not registered as the national herb, would be introduced worldwide.
The Kuching Area Farmers’ Organisation (Kafo) is the body to provide answers on the herbal tea’s future prospects as it handles the marketing and commercial department.
Kafo general manager Saibee Dael said more promotions of the herbal tea were underway as introducing a new product in the market was not easy.
Saibee returned from Kuala Lumpur (KL) recently after attending the Asia Pacific Natural Product Expo (Natpro) there. He left for the 5th Herbal Asia Tradeshow in KL on May 7.
He said although he had received encouraging response from the expo, manpower and budgetary limitations were the issues to be considered.
“At times, we are asked to send speakers to various places to do promotions because people at large still do not know the herb well except the Chinese community,” he told thesundaypost.
He revealed that nearly 10,000 boxes of herbal tea had been produced since the launching last year … with some 7,000 boxes already sold.
A gross profit of RM40,000 has been reported and Saibee is expecting the figure to double this year.
“We are also encouraging interested distributors to contact us to market the product. If possible, we like to extend our products to pharmacies and coffeeshops apart from supermarkets.
“Efforts to educate the people and introduce the herbal tea as a beverage are long term processes. We are hoping to introduce new flavours with at least five ingredients, depending on acceptance of the product,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kafo project manager Leo Mamba said the herbal tea was a quality halal item produced by five selected farmers in compliance with good agricultural practices.
“For instance, care must be taken to ensure that the preparation process is hygienic,” he said, adding that the kacangma plant only required basic fertilizers and peticides as and when necessary.
He pointed out that only the finest quality products were manufactured.
“We only harvest the top part of the plant (leaves and some stems) for the best quality. After that, the farmers need to clear their plantations for re-planting,” he added.
Planting and harvesting take place five to six times a year and some sunshine and less rain is ideal for growth.
The plant is best harvested after two months. After that, it is dried in the sun prior to the next process.
The dried form of kacangma has to be heated inside a special oven for more than six hours to process it into tea or other tea products.
The price of a box of kacangma tea (20 sachets) is RM18.
According to nutritional information, 2g per serving contains only 0.7 calorie of energy and 0.2 calorie of carbohydrate. There is no mention of fat and protein contents.
Source : Borneo Post
Sunday, May 18th, 2008
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