In recent years, developed nations have expressed a renewed interest in plant-based medicines. A distrust of synthetic chemicals with their side effects has led many people to desire more “natural” solutions to health problems. Malaysia is particularly well placed to cater to this demand: Its globalized, multi-dimensional herbal healthcare systems are geared towards health maintenance, daily wellness and beauty enhancement. One hundred percent natural formulations are taken as food and medicine, as well as topically.

In the past, food, clothing, income, medicine, shelter and sustenance, health and welfare were all provided for by Malaysia’s vast natural reserves — its rain forests. The country’s native inhabitants, the orang asli, treated the forests with the greatest of respect, taking only what they needed and leaving plenty behind for regeneration. A cultural force for conservation, their practices have ensured that, even today, those same forests can continue to give up their bounty. Sharing their resources and healing secrets with the wider world is now becoming a priority for Malaysia.