What is the meaning of Simplicia and what are the types of simplicia?

The definition of simplicia according to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia is a natural substance used for medicine and has not undergone any process changes, and unless otherwise stated, it is generally in the form of a dried material. Gunawan and Mulyani (2004) explain that simplicia is a term used to refer to natural medicinal ingredients that are in their original form or have not undergone a change in form.

Simplicia is divided into three groups, namely:

1. Vegetable simplicia Vegetable simplicia is simplisia which can be in the form of whole plants, plant parts, plant exudates, or a combination of the three, for example Datura Folium and Piperis nigri Fructus. Plant exudate is the contents of a cell that either spontaneously leaves the plant or is intentionally expelled from the cell in some way. Plant exudates can be in the form of substances or other vegetable materials which are isolated / isolated from the plants in some way.
2. Animal simplicia Animal simplicia is simplicia which can be whole animals or useful substances produced by animals and not in the form of pure chemicals, for example fish oil (Oleum iecoris asselli) and honey (Mel depuratum).
3. Pelican or mineral simplicia Pelican or mineral simplicia is simplisia in the form of pelican material or minerals that have not been processed or have been processed in a simple way and are not yet in the form of pure chemicals, for example zinc powder and copper powder.

Medicinal plant simplisia is included in the vegetable simplisia group. In general, the name or mention of simplicia is based on the combination of the name of the species followed by the name of the part of the plant. For example: pepper with the species name Piperis albi, so the simplified name is called Piperis albi Fructus. The fructus denotes the part of the plant which means fruit.

Latin names and plant parts used in simplicia nomenclature are presented in the plengdut.com table below.

Table: Latin names of plant parts used in simplicia nomenclature

Latin name	Plant Section
Radix	Root
Rhizome	Rhizome
Tubera	Bulbs
Flos	Flower
Fructus	Fruit
Cement	Seed
Lignum	Wood
Cortex	Tree bark
Caulis	Trunk
Folia	Leaf
Herbs	The whole plant

Table: Plant parts, method of collection and water content of simplicia.

No	Plant parts	Method of collection	Simplicia water content
1	Bark	From the main trunk and branches, peeled off to a certain length and width; for bark containing essential oils or phenolic compounds, a non-metal exfoliator is used.	≤10%
2	Trunk	From the branches, cut to a certain length and a certain diameter of the branch.	≤10%
3	Wood	From the trunk or branches, cut into small pieces or shaved (disugu) after peeling the skin.	≤10%
4	Leaf	Old or young (shoot area), picked by hand one by one.	≤5%
5	Flower	Buds or blooms or petals, or petals, are hand-picked.	≤5%
6	Peak	Flowering shoots; hand-picked.	≤8%
7	Root	From below ground level; cut into certain sizes.	≤10%
8	Rhizome	Uprooted, cleaned from the roots; cut crosswise to a certain thickness.	≤8%
9	Fruit	Cook, almost cooked; hand-picked.	≤8%
10	Seed	Fruit picked; peeled the skin of the fruit; the seeds are collected and washed.	≤10%
11	Rind	Like seeds, the rind is collected and washed.	≤8%
12	Bulbus	The plant is plucked, the bulb is separated from the leaves and roots by cutting it, washed.

What is the standard for Simplicia preparation technology?

Standardized simplisia preparation technology for medicinal plants, namely:

• Fruit. The fruit should be harvested after physiological ripe by picking. Examples: noni (Morinda citrifolia L.), guava (Psidium guajava L.), rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.), Javanese chilies (Piper retrofractum Vahl.), Vanilla (Vanilla flanifolia)
• Leaves. Harvesting the leaves is done when the plant has grown optimally and has entered a physiological maturity period and is done by pruning the plant. Examples: betel (Piper betle L.), leaves of god (Gynura segetum (Lour.) Merr.), Tongue-in-law (Sanseviera trifasciata Prain), salam (Eugenia polyantha Wight / Syzygium polyanthum Wight)
• Rhizome. For rhizomes, the harvest time varies depending on the use. Examples: ginger (Zingiber officinale Roxb.)), Turmeric (Curcuma domestica Val), ginger (Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb).
• Flowers. Flowers are used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries in both fresh and dried form. Examples: jasmine (Jasminum sambac (L.) Ait), roses (Rosa chinensis Jacq.), Rosella (Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn), tapak dara (Cantharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don), hibiscus (Hibiscus rosasinensis L.) , cloves (Syzygium aromaticum)
• Wood. Harvesting of wood is carried out after the maximum secondary metabolite compounds are formed. Example: brotowali (Tinospora crispa (L.) Miers), cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii (Ness.) Bl), quinine (Chinchona spp.), Eucalyptus (Melaleuca leucadendra L.)
• Herbs. In some seasonal crops, the right time to harvest is when the vegetative growth of the plant is maximal and will enter the generative phase or in other words, harvesting is done before the plants flower. Examples: meniran (Phyllanthus urinaria Linn), gotu kola (Centella asiatica (L) Urban), sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata (Burn.f) Ness), urang-aring (Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk.)