Packaging of Herbal Medicine and its Connection to the Acceptance Rate of the Urban Population Viewed from a Biological, Agricultural, Economic, Business and Communication Perspective

摘要

This article discusses the packaging of traditionalherbal medicine and its acceptance rate from a biological, agricultural,economic, business and communication perspective. With the many herbalmedicines on market in Indonesia and across the global, many questions areemerging about the content, plant type, biological aspects, the economic valueand the appropriate information necessary for public knowledge. All thisrequires a thorough discussion in this rapidly changing universe. Since,medicinal components are known to be of value but with many side effects,though advantages in most case out-weigh disadvantages [side effects]. Forinstance, the use of herbals can be found in a??brotowalia?? which cures fever,rheumatism, and itches. Further, herbal medicines can also help to facilitate acure of appendicitis, typhoid, blood vomit, diabetes, cancer, leprosy, whoopingcough, stone bladder, syphilis, skin infection, blood feses, bloody and mucusexcretion and many other such illnesses. Though in the previous, traditionalherbal medicines were known for their being cheap, with limited chemicalcontent and their easiness to find. Today, it is becoming the opposite. Highconcentration of chemical contents is now being discovered in manyself-proclaimed traditional herbal medicines at times with high risks to life.The prices are no longer for all the masses but for a few who can afford.Modern industries have turned herbal products into expensive medicinesespecially for the middle and lower class urban population. From acommunication perspective, though modern industries have taken-up the job oftransforming the herbal products, society still has a negative perception that tradition herbs are but an extension ofthe paranormal/ or witch doctor.?? In thiscase, in the present paper we wish to explain from a multidisciplineperspective the information surrounding herbal medicine more so from thepackaging angle and the acceptance rate of the urban population.