Global demand for evidence-based natural medicines is accelerating.
Consumers, physicians and pharmaceutical innovators are converging on the same expectation: natural therapies must be supported by controlled scientific validation rather than historical tradition alone.
The herbal medicine market is projected to surpass $300bn by 2030 and analysts observe that the most significant growth is emerging from biodiversity-rich regions capable of translating natural resources into standardised, reproducible and clinically supported therapeutics.
Indonesia, with an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 medicinal plant species and at least 9,600 recorded for pharmacological use, is increasingly regarded as a future engine of scientifically developed natural medicines. Yet only a small proportion of these plants have advanced into recognised phytopharmaceutical products, signalling both a limitation and a strategic opportunity: biodiversity alone does not generate competitiveness, but biodiversity combined with molecular characterisation and regulatory alignment does.
This theme dominated discussions at CPHI Frankfurt 2025, where researchers, regulators and industry executives consistently emphasised that natural medicines are entering an era in which they must ‘behave like modern therapeutics’. Clarity on bioactive compounds, dose-dependent pharmacological activity, molecular mechanism of action, reproducible clinical outcomes and regulatory compatibility – rather than cultural significance – are becoming the principal determinants of credibility.
Against this backdrop, Dexa Laboratories of Biomolecular Sciences (DLBS) presented an update on Indonesia’s progress in advancing what it calls ‘Integrative Modern Natural Medicines’. Rather than relying on crude herbal extracts, DLBS applies molecular approaches such as biomolecular profiling, receptor-binding assays and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis to identify and standardise specific active fractions before they are evaluated clinically.
Through this approach, DLBS has developed product candidates that exemplify the scientific pivot occurring across the sector. Inlacin, which contains the active fraction DLBS3233, has been investigated for its potential to improve insulin resistance by enhancing insulin receptor phosphorylation, activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ), and facilitating glucose uptake, with clinical evidence generated in prediabetes, type-2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) populations.
Redacid, based on an active fraction characterised as DLBS2411, has been evaluated for the management of gastrointestinal symptoms through a proton-pump-inhibitor-like mechanism that targets dyspepsia and acid-related dysfunctions. Veprolin, which contains Proliverenol, represents DLBS’s liver-health platform and has demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic activity with emerging clinical signals in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Experts at the event stressed that the competitive landscape of natural medicines is no longer shaped by low-cost raw material extraction, rapid commercialisation or reference to traditional use in communities. The defining variables are instead molecular precision, manufacturing consistency and regulatory compatibility. Regions able to comply with frameworks such as the European Medicines Agency and the US FDA Botanical Drug Development pathway are expected to dominate the higher-value segment of the botanical sector.
This is particularly relevant as metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal conditions and liver disease escalate globally and patients increasingly seek natural options that are supported by pharmacological and clinical evidence rather than anecdotal claims.
The scientific sentiment was reflected in a keynote forum featuring Professor Raymond R. Tjandrawinata, Executive Director of DLBS. He notes that natural medicines do not gain authority because they have been used for centuries, nor because they originate from ethnobotanical narratives. Their credibility depends on whether molecular components are identified, mechanisms of action are clarified, dose–response relationships are quantified and clinical effects are consistently reproducible across populations.
According to Prof. Tjandrawinata, Integrative Modern Natural Medicines are intended to meet that standard to enable global scientific confidence, reduce the historical gap between traditional and modern medicine and ensure that biodiversity translates into innovation rather than speculation.
An increasingly important dimension of this shift is regional adoption. Evidence-based natural medicines from Indonesia and neighbouring countries are gaining traction not only as consumer nutraceuticals but also within integrative healthcare practice across Singapore, Cambodia, the Philippines and Myanmar.
Researchers attribute this momentum to two reinforcing factors: a high density of potentially bioactive plant species available for molecular screening and a level of cultural familiarity that supports early patient acceptance once the products meet scientific criteria. The result is a regional ecosystem where natural medicines can move from laboratory findings to clinical and healthcare practices with less resistance compared with Western markets that maintain stricter separation between botanical and pharmaceutical sectors.
Analysts at CPHI Frankfurt noted that the next decade will serve as a decisive inflection point for the global botanical industry. Regions that can pair biodiversity with high-throughput screening, molecular profiling, standardisation of bioactive fractions, regulated manufacturing and clinical-evidence development are expected to command far greater market power than raw-material exporters or traditional herbal markets.
From this perspective, Indonesia’s emerging institutional capacity – embodied by DLBS’s molecular research strategies – positions the country as one of the few biodiversity-rich nations with credible prospects to transition into global leadership in scientifically validated natural medicines.
As natural medicine continues to evolve from ‘heritage-based’ to ‘evidence-based’, the sector’s trajectory is increasingly defined by reproducibility, mechanistic transparency and regulatory compatibility. The discussions in Frankfurt reflect a broader consensus across scientific communities: the era in which natural medicines are evaluated primarily through tradition has ended.
The era in which they are evaluated through molecular precision has begun. Indonesia’s growing contribution to this transition illustrates not only the scientific maturation of the regional botanical sector but also the potential emergence of Southeast Asia as a structural force in the global nutraceutical and botanical-pharmaceutical landscape.
References
- Grand View Research. Herbal Medicine Market Analysis Report (2018-2030).
- Adiyasa MR, et al. Utilization of traditional medicines in Indonesia: distribution patterns and influencing demographic factors. Jurnal Biomedika dan Kesehatan. 2021;4(3):130–138.
- Setiawan D, et al. The use of DLBS3233 bioactive fraction in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Indonesia: a cost-effectiveness analysis based on real-world evidence. Indonesian Journal of Pharmacy. 2025;36(3):571–582.
- Tjandrawinata R, et al. An integrated review of precision therapy and standardized herbal drugs for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): molecular advances, clinical evidence, and integrative implications. MEDICINUS. 2025;38(7):3–6.