Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) management can lead to various benefits for community livelihood and forest sustainability. However, such management has not been carried out optimally and sustainably in Indonesia, due to various limiting factors including ineffective policies, undeveloped cultivation technologies, and inadequate innovation in processing technologies. Further, the diversity of NTFPs species requires that policy-makers determine the priority species to be developed. Agarwood (Aquilaria spp. and Gyrinops spp.), benzoin (Styrax spp.), sandalwood (Santalum album L.), and cajuput (Melaleuca cajuputi Powell) are aromatic NTFPs species in Indonesia that forest-dwellers have utilized across generations. This paper reviews the current governance, cultivation systems, processing and valuation, and benefits and uses of these species. We also highlights the future challenges and prospects of these NTFPs species, which are expected to be useful in designing NTFPs governance, in order to maximize the associated benefits for the farmers and all related stakeholders.

Gaharu (Agarwood) is described as a fragrant-smelling wood that is usually derived from the trunk of the genus Aquilaria and Gyrinops (both of the family Thymelaeaceae), which have been infected by a particular disease. Based on Indonesian National Standard, agarwood can be classified into various grades, i.e. gubal gaharu, kemedangan and serbuk gaharu. The grading system is based on the color, weight and odor. It seems that such a grading is too subjective for agarwood classification. Therefore, to minimize the subjectivity, more objective agarwood grading is required, which incorporates its chemical composition and resin content. This research was conducted focusing on the analysis of the particular grade of agarwood originating from West Sumatra. The different types of agarwood qualities are: kemedangan C, teri C, kacangan C and super AB. Initially, the obtained agarwood samples were grounded to powder, extracted on a Soxhlet extractor using various organic solvents (i.e. n-hexane, acetone, and methanol). The agarwood-acetone extracts were analyzed using GC-MS to determine its chemical composition. The results showed a positive, linier relationship in which the resin yield increased with the increase in agarwood quality grades. GC-MS analysis revealed that several sesquiterpene groups can be found in kemedangan C, teri C, kacangan C and super AB qualities. It is interesting that aromadendrene could be identified or found in all agarwood quality grades. Therefore, it is presumed that the aromadendrene compounds can act as an effective chemical distinguisher for agarwood, whereby the greater the aromadendrene content, the better is the agarwood grade.

Indonesia is a country endowed with its abundant biodiversity; and therefore potential in providing future drugs derived from renewable natural materials (e.g. plants). Relevantly, this study aimed to identify and analyze the ethnomedicine, phytochemical, toxicity, and active compounds of several alleged medicinal plant species from Borneo. Results showed local people used those plants to cure various diseases or other human physiological disorders, such as antidote, varices, liver medicine, tonsil medicine, stomachache, diarrhea, sprue medicine, itching, ulcers antihypertension and malaria. Those plants as examined generally contained tannins, saponins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids. Some of them contained alkaloids. Toxicity tests, as represented by LC₅₀ values, exhibited their range from 126.70 to 883.34 ppm. Further, various chemical compounds such as trans-caryophyllene and veridiflorol effectively inflicted a significant effect as antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibiotics. Fatty acids such as hexadecanoic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, octadecadienoic acid, and stearic acid could inhibit the growth of microbes. Phenolic compounds could acts as an antioxidant and antidiabetic. Judging from all the varying LC50 values, ethnobotany-related explorations, and other biomedical/biochemical tests, those analyzed species could be strongly judged as efficacious medicinal plants; and therefore potentially developed as raw material for herbal drugs.

Saurauia vulcanii plant has been widely used to treat a variety of diseases suffered by villagers as antidiabetic and digestive problems’ remedy. The Forestry Research and Development Agency has cultivated this plant at Forest Area for Specific Purpose in Northern Sumatra. The aims of this study were to determine the toxicity and total phenolic content from n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol Saurauia vulcani extracts. The toxicity was carried out using the Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT) method and Folin Ciocalteu method is used for total phenolic content. The result showed that the toxicity of n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts i.e. LC50 values of 365.19 ppm, 715.28 and 225.77 ppm, respectively. The total phenolic content of hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were 7,155 mg GAE/g, 13,702 mg GAE/g and 16,560 mg GAE/g, respectively.

Porang (konjac) plants have long been used as a food source and traditional medicine. Glucomannan derived from porang has been utilised for various uses such as antidiabetic and antihypercholesterolemia agent. This paper studies the mixture of porang flour and nano activated-carbon and its effect on the cholesterol activity of rats. The mixture of porang and activated carbon were subjected to test for male Sprague Dawley rats to test the antihypercholesterolemia activity. The result showed that concerted anticholesterol activity of porang and nano activated-carbon revealed the cholesterol level decreases in rat's blood. However, the different treatments of unleached and leached porang either leached porang and nano activated-carbon applied in the experiments showed that the levels of cholesterol decrease were slightly different (16–18%). Low glucomannan content as the alleged anticholesterol agent was regarded quite effective in lowering the cholesterol level in rat's blood and comparable with those of simvastatin which achieved 18% reduction. Therefore, it indicates potential utilisation as a functional food for a cholesterol-lowering agent. The involvement of activated carbon in the alleged anticholesterol agent (leached porang flour) did little in enhancing the cholesterol level decrease in rat's blood. The glucomannan in both leached porang flour and leached porang flour + nano activated-carbon shows potential utilisation as an anticholesterol agent. Yet, raw (unleached) porang is prospectively potential as a functional food for cholesterol-lowering.