Herbal Research Group
Chair: Dk Dr Nurolaini Pg Haji Muhd Kifli
Secretary: Dr Faizah Hj Md Naim
Members:
- AP Dr Mas Rina Wati Hj Abd Hamid
- Dr Hjh Norhayati Hj Ahmad
- AP Dr Lim Lee Hoon
- Dr Katrina Hj Md Daud
- Dr Haji Tassim bin Hj Abu Bakar
- AP Dr Basilios Tsikouras
Contact: research.herbal@ubd.edu.bn
Website: https://herbal.ubd.edu.bn/
About Herbal Research Group
UBD established the Herbal Research Cluster to strategically align its herbal researchers and to promote multidisciplinary collaboration. Brunei Darussalam has a rich biodiversity, and a potential treasure trove of valuable medicinal drugs. It is therefore important to evaluate local herbs used traditionally, and thus, a collaborative pipeline has been developed. It is hoped that this research cluster will provide a wealth of opportunity for innovation in the development of medicinal / health products. In September 2018, a Committee for the Herbal Research Group was established to review grant proposals. The Herbal Research Group includes members from the Institute of Health Sciences (IHS), Faculty of Sciences (FOS), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), as well as Academy of Brunei Studies (APB) and from Institute for Biodiversity and Environment (IBER) at UBD.
The herbal research Laboratory engages in basic lab research to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of herbal plants. The Herbal Research lab features a range of equipment for the isolation, extraction and identification of herbal constituents including:
- High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
- Sonicator
- Soxhlet apparatus
- Rotary Evaporator
- Oven
- Microwave & Autoclave.
Researchers can use this facility for plant extraction, chemical characterisation, bioactivity, mechanisms of action and molecular targets of some of the herbal plants used locally.
Herbal Research Clusters:
- Ethnobotanical study
- Phytochemistry
- Cell and Molecular Biology
- Pharmacology
- Formulation and Quality Assurance
Research projects that has been funded by the Herbal research grants are:
- Characterizing the Antihypertensive and Antidyslipidemic Effects of Traditional Herbal Medicine on Animal Model Systems for Drug Herbal Research Discovery
- Microbial Induction of Agarwood
- Documentation and Conservation of Traditional Herbal Knowledge
- In vitro Evaluation of Aryl Hydrocarbon ligands in local plants – potential immunomodulatory effects
- Myth versus scientific evidence: effectiveness of selected local Bruneian herbs acting as supplement to control diabetes.
- In Vivo Study of the Biological Activities of Litsea elliptica Blume
