HEWO開設馬來西亞最大草藥網站

HEWO LAUNCHES MALAYSIA’S LARGEST PUBLIC HERB PORTAL

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3: Hewo has launched Malaysia’s largest public herb portal in a bid to boost Malaysia’s position as the region’s herbal hub.

The company aims to enhance Malaysia’s knowledge on medicinal herbs by documenting the health benefits of more than 15,000 plant species, from which more than 22,000 herbal remedies can be derived.

This push is in line with Prime Minister’s call for more research into homegrown herbs to give the herbal industry a bigger boost.

On top of creating awareness of how herbs can be used, the resource database (www.hewo.com) will also offer consultation for users to enquire on the health benefits of herbs.

To provide accurate information for the database and advice on how to obtain health benefits from herbs, Hewo signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a panel of local and international advisors ranging from experts in traditional medicine system to modern healthcare system.

Meanwhile, Hewo also inked a pact with Easy Pha-max to exchange herb related data and provide consumer access to information on medicinal plants for the treatment of various kinds of diseases and ailments.

“There is widespread interest among communities around the world who acknowledge that there are health benefits from consuming herbs but do not know enough about their benefits,” said Rachel Ten, Research and Business Development Director, Hewo Sdn. Bhd.

“It is an exciting venture for us as it is a first step towards putting Malaysia on the world map as a herbal resource and research centre. It is also in line with Malaysia’s vision to position itself as a biotech hub under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, as biotechnology applications can benefit the herbal industry.

“Malaysia is rich as a resource centre because it is blessed with rich flora that could be utilized for local herbal development.”

Ten said Hewo’s easy to understand database will fuel Malaysia’s drive to be home to the region’s herbal centre for resource and research.

“We expect to collaborate with more organizations in the area of research and development to achieve this goal.”

According to statistics published in a Lyonia, a journal on herbs, approximately 80 per cent of the world’s population consumed herbal medicines in 2002, believing that it is more compatible with the human body and that it reduces any side effects.

The Forest Research Institute of Malaysia's (FRIM) has estimated that Malaysia may have over 2,000 types of vegetation that can be developed for commercial value.

Commenting on the partnership, Rachel Ten said that Easy Pha-max was a natural choice because it is a front runner in the herbal healthcare industry.

“We are confident that it will generate up to 100,000 hits monthly and that this partnership will enhance our services as we become a key resource base for consumers as well as herbal practitioners.

To boost uptake of its services, Hewo will kick off two online competitions. One involves developing a mascot for the website while the other is a photo-shooting competition.

The herb portal features user-friendly search functions that categorize the herbs by scientific names, common names and symptoms to display information on medicinal benefits and health warnings from consuming the herbs.

It also hosts games as well as a forum and blogs where there will be a wide range of topics to talk about, all of which interestingly stems from herbs.

“We are pleased to join Hewo in this endeavor and believe that this mutual exchange of expertise will benefit Easy Pha-max in more ways than one,” said Ben Wong, Director of Easy Pha-max Marketing Sdn. Bhd.

Easy Pha-max is a subsidiary of INS Bioscience that markets herbal supplements ranging from wheatgrass-based products to cordyceps-based products.