Spectroscopy Analysis of Antimicrobial Compound in Centella Asiatica Extract

Abstract

The usage of herbal medicinal is still the widespread among society today in their daily lives. This is mostly due to the tradition of our ancestors who really relied on traditional medicine to cure diseases and improve their intelligence. Next, herbal plants are said to have more and better nutrients and nourishment than modern medicine. This is because the compound have been mixed with the use of other chemicals to produce medicines. Centella asiatica (pegaga) is an herbal plant that is commonly heard about its benefits both internally and externally. However, scientific research is needed to prove its benefits. Thus, the society do not clarified much on the actual nutrients thoroughly. Besides that, Centella asiatica is generally known to come from the Apiaceae family and this plant is an important plant with a wide range of traditional, medicinal and therapeutic values. This plant has it own speciality or strong point in which it is choosen to be mentioned in the Quran. To prove its efficacy, a spectroscopy analysis of Centella asiatica extract was performed using ATR-FTIR. The use of Centella asiatica samples has also been diversified into leaf part and stem part. This is to compare the nutrient content in the leaves. The results from this research is that Centella asiatica leaves do have antimicrobial compound. Therefore, the usage of Centella asiatica leaves in society needs to be expanded so that its nutrients can be utilized to the maximum for the benefit of the people and improvement to the national economy.