Many health benefits, binahong continues to be hunted
Reporter: Tri Sulistiowati, Venny Suryanto | Editor: Johana K.
KONTAN.CO.ID – Although they do not look as beautiful as other yard plants, the binahong tree is widely hunted. The reason is, plants that live in tropical forest habitats contain lots of substances that are good for health.
Its antioxidant content is believed to ward off free radicals, which trigger cancer cells. Meanwhile, the content of alkaloid substances can reduce blood sugar levels.
By consuming these vines regularly can provide various positive effects for the body, such as curing diabetes, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, recovering bruises, itching, and nosebleeds.
Yolanda Sari, owner of Primrose Garden from Jakarta, admitted that she is interested in cultivating this medicinal plant because of the many benefits it provides. “Our family has high blood pressure, so we planted it to be used as fresh vegetables,” he said to KONTAN, Monday (16/10).
Because many of his friends were looking for binahong puppies for cosmetic raw materials, in 2015 he began to focus on reproducing and selling them. Starting from one large broodstock, he can produce dozens of binahong pups that are developed on an area of 60 m2.
Using social media as a place to sell, consumers also come from various regions such as Bali, Samarinda and Jakarta. Mostly, the buyers are housewives.
Especially for shipments outside the city, the plants are packed with wrap so that they are not messy and damaged. Meanwhile, around the capital, he uses an online motorcycle taxi service.
The woman who is more familiarly called Yola has set her binahong selling price not too expensive, around IDR 25,000 for puppies and IDR 70,000 for sires.
Another cultivator is Puriyani Hasanah, owner of Popon’s Nursery from Bogor, West Java. Although according to him this plant is not widely known, many consumers buy it as a medicinal plant. Initially, he got these seeds from a cultivator from Bogor.
Apart from being sold directly, his binahong plants are also used for souvenir purposes, namely in the form of miniature seeds 15-20 cm high. Prices start at IDR 4,000, IDR 10,000 and IDR 25,000.
Using digital media such as Facebook, Instagram, and blogs for product promotion, consumers have come from various regions, especially from Java.
Sales are uncertain every month. However, the range is 50-100 binahongs sent from his garden each month. “Once shopping, one to three seeds can be done at once,” he said.