CONSIDERING the vast potentials of our local forest resources, the Forest Products Research and Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-FPRDI) developed personal care products which can be useful in maintaining personal hygiene amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The antimicrobial liquid hand soaps were formulated using cinnamon (Cinnamomum mercadoi Vidal) and bamboo-activated carbon, with lavender and Manila elemi oil scents.
While the hand bar soaps used bamboo charcoal (Bambusa sp), bamboo-activated carbon, sapang (Caesalpinia sappan L.) and tawa tawa (Euphorbia hirta L.), with eucalyptus oil scent.
The results of DOST-FPRDI’s previous and on-going studies on bamboo charcoal and bamboo-activated carbon have been found to be useful in crafting these personal care products.
The bamboo-activated carbon helps remove microorganisms, such as germs, by absorbing them.
While the institute has yet to study sapang and tawa tawa thoroughly, available literature point to their antimicrobial properties.
The institute also prepared anti-microbial hand mists for disinfecting hands in the absence of soap and water.
The hand mists were made from cinnamon, a proven natural disinfectant, and infused with either lavender or Manila elemi oil scent.
Bioassay testing and sensory test are now being conducted to further study the products.
“Maintaining personal hygiene, such as through washing and sanitizing of hands, is deemed an important step in preventing the spread of diseases. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in some areas of the country, DOST-FPRDI will look for more ways to help protect the public against this global pandemic,” said FPRDI Director Romulo Aggangan.
In a related development, recent studies by the DOST-FPRDI indicated that woody vines found in the Philippine forests are also an important natural resource that needs to be taken seriously.
Majority, however, are not well acquainted with forest woody vines.
“Because of their many uses, woody vines are part of the daily life of tropical forest communities worldwide,” Aggangan says.
They are used for medicines, food, handicrafts, furniture, house construction, oral hygiene, and hunting.
They are especially useful in remote areas where synthetic medicines are not readily available.
Aggangan says forest vines, or non-timber forest products, are mostly under-appreciated as there have been few research efforts to get to know them better.
Due to this, the institute has put in place a research and development program dedicated to studying local forest woody vines.
“Thru the program and with support from fund-donors, the institute aims to collect information on the biology; inventory; basic properties such as anatomy, physical and mechanical, chemical and natural durability; treatability; and phytochemical properties of Philippine commercial forest vines,” he explains.
In a recent study, researchers looked into the chemical content of five vine species and got encouraging results.
The curare vine (Strychnos sp.) was identified as a promising material for pulp production and a source of cellulose for biofuels and nanocellulose products. Mulawing-baging (Symphorema luzonicum), lalapau (Hypserpa nitida), bulakan (Merremia peltata), abuhab-baging (Strophantuss p.) and curare, on the other hand, have high phytochemical content, and need to be further studied for their possible medicinal value./PN
