The government of Malaysia is now making efforts to prove to the world that kacip fatimah indeed improves the libido of women, and thereby contributes to happy family life. The following coverage is excerpted from the Star newspaper of Malaysia (issue of May 26, 2003)
By S.S. YOGA
"The Kacip Fatimah is a small plant, but it is reputed to have numerous uses, including increasing a woman's libido. For the first time, a clinical trial funded by the government and involving several universities and research institutes is being conducted to verify the efficacy of the traditional herbal medicine...
"Malaysia is home to herbs that are touted to do many magical things for your libido - Tongkat Ali (literally Ali's cane) is the outstanding example. Well, Ali's wondrous cane benefits men, but the women apparently have something for them too - Kacip Fatimah...
"The trial marks the first time that a government-funded clinical trial is being conducted for a herbal product using human subjects by a multi-agency team.
"There are four phases to a clinical trial and the team has completed the first phase. After evaluating the baseline data, says Prof Abdul Latif, the team will present and report their findings.
"HUSM consultant endocrinologist Prof. Wan Mohamad Bebakar and HUSM obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr. Nik Hazlina Nik Hussain are managing a trial in which volunteers are given ground Kacip Fatimah in capsules for two months.
"The first phase examined how the ingestion of Kacip Fatimah or Labisia pumila capsules affect the levels of the estrogens (female sex hormones) and androgens (male sex hormones). Women produce small amounts of male hormones (men have small amounts of female hormones too) and not surprisingly the androgens regulate the libido of both men and women. "Based on earlier studies and the fact the plant is traditionally used to induce childbirth, there is a possibility that it contains estrogen-like compounds. Those hormones may cause an increase in certain hormones that may result in an increase in libido and sexuality," explains Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) consultant endocrinologist Prof Wan Mohamad Wan Bebakar who is coordinating the trial there.
"That leads to the question that even though Kacip Fatimah has always been associated with women, why can't men take it to boost their sex drive too? Prof Wan Mohamad says that in theory the herb could work for men but in all probability the female sex hormones present might counteract that effect.
"The three-year study was started early last year and is funded by the Ministry's Intensive Research for Priority Areas (IRPA) programme and the budget is given on a yearly basis. Over RM1.3mil was received last year and this year RM2.2mil has been allocated. The budget is divided amongst the five agencies involved in the trials - Institute for Medical Research (IMR) (under the Health Ministry), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, USM and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) (all under the Education Ministry), and Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) (under the Primary Industries Ministry).
"FRIM looked at the best planting conditions for the herb (there are three known varieties and the variety alata is used) to have the best yield while UMS looked at propagation using tissue culture and the finger-printing of its chemical composition
"IMR's Dr Wan Nazaimoon Wan Mohamud had a two-fold role in the whole programme - to conduct pre-clinical studies using animal models (rats and monkeys) and tissue cultures, and in the clinical trials, to analyse the blood samples of volunteers for hormones.
"Prof Wan Mohamad reveals that toxicity tests were necessary before human trials were allowed and that the whole process had to receive independent approval from the Ethical Review Committee's from each respective institution.
"Besides general toxicity which looked at how the liver and kidney in the animals fared, the other toxicity test that was conducted examined the effect of Kacip Fatimah on the reproductive system and Dr Siti Amrah Sulaiman, also from HUSM, showed that the herb has no adverse effect on pregnant rats or the litters.
"With approval granted the teams then entered into the Phase 1 trial. Prof Wan Mohamad says volunteers were recruited from among the staff and their families and they were fully briefed as to the trial methods and the protocols and implications involved and their consent sought... The volunteers were all Malay women as only Malays traditionally use the herb."
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