KUBANG KERIAN, KELANTAN, 25 July 2016 - The Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Health Sciences (PPSK) recently organised a seminar on the process of natural product extraction.

The seminar highlighted the correct procedures of extracting natural products prior to them being used for medical purposes.

The seminar was intended to promote the expertise available at PPSK in the field of natural product extraction, and to share the knowledge with the participants involved in related fields.

A Senior Lecturer from PPSK, Dr. Wan Amir Nizam Wan Ahmad emphasised the necessity for every extract produced to undergo various processes prior to them being used.

"It is not easy for a herb or a natural product to be used for treatment, because it has to undergo various clinical experiments using animals before the application on humans," he said.

Meanwhile, according to Associate Professor Dr. Hasmah Abdullah who also lectures at PPSK, a lot of benefits can be derived from extracts of natural products, in terms of providing medical treatment to society.

"However, clinical tests need to be run firstly to identify the contents in a particular extract," she added.

The process of "discovering drugs from natural plants" can be a lengthy one, due to the steps taken to obtain a primary extract until it becomes the end product.

This was supported by Dr. Mohd Dasuki Sul'Ain, another Senior Lecturer at PPSK, with the example of Paracetamol which took almost 10 years to produce, involving the synthesis of the extracts to make into medicine.

The seminar comprised of two sessions, with each one dealing on different aspects of natural product extraction. Postgraduate students of PPSK also conducted a 'hands-on' session on proper handling of instruments used in natural product extraction.

"We are overwhelmed with the feedback from the participants and it is not impossible for this kind of seminar to be organised again in the future," said the head organiser, Dr. Wan Amir Nizam.

The seminar was attended by 60 participants, comprising of undergraduate and postgraduate students, academicians and researchers, and also lab technicians and science officers from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA).

Text: Nazirah Mahmud & Siti Nur Syamimi Suhaimi (USM Internship Students) / Editing: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin / Photo: Abdul Aziz Latif