PROFILE : Drh.

Rizal Damanik, MRepSc, PhD Second Winner of the National Achieving

Lecturer of 2010
http://news.ipb.ac.id
Posted by admin on 30 August 2010

A lecturer of the Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology, Bogor

Agricultural University Drh. Rizal Damanik, MRepSc, PhD, received the second best award for
National Achieving Lecturers in 2010 from the Ministry of National Education, for his research
on the benefits of torbangun leaf (Coleus amboinicus Lour) to improve the quality of breast
milk.

The research background is the high percentage of malnutrition problems in this country. In
the health sector of development, particularly the health of mothers and children, the impact of
this economic crisis is significantly noticeable. Various studies have reported many
breastfeeding mothers are unable to meet the nutritional needs required for them and of
course also for the newborn babies.

Adequate breast milk is not only obtained by fulfilling nutritional needs during lactation, but
can also be facilitated by consuming food / ingredients as laktagogum (to stimulate milk
production). So as a child of the nation who comes from the ethnic group of Batak
Simalungun, Dr. Rizal Damanik conducted a research on the use of Torbangun vegetable
among breastfeeding Batak women. Batak people in North Sumatra Province have the
tradition of consuming Torbangun and believe in the efficacy of the vegetable as laktagogum
(stimulant of milk production). It is unfortunate that Torbangun is a wild plant, and so its
potential efficacy has not received adequate attention from the scientists.

The research on the use of Torbangun leaf was conducted in Tano Batak in the Regency of
Simalungun by involving the local people as participants in the study. In order for the result of
this study can be taken to an international forum, during the intervention of the study, the
laktagogum efficacy of Torbangun vegetable was compared to Fenugreek tablets and
capsules Moloco + B12, each of which is commonly used as laktagogum by lactating women
in Europe, America and major cities in Indonesia. The results showed that the breast milk of
mothers who consumed Torbangun was the best and has been scientifically proven. The
research result certainly has a positive effect especially on the health of mothers and children,
who could not meet the nutritional requirements for breastfeeding mothers.

Research conducted by Dr. Rizal Damanik is the first comprehensive study on Torbangun
vegetable in Indonesia that has raised and exposed the local tradition of Batak society to
various international forums. For the achievement Local Government of Simalungun Regency
and its House of Representatives Council has granted Dr. Rizal Damanik as an Honorary
Citizen of Simalungun.

Apart from studying the laktagogum properties of Torbangun, Dr. Rizal Damanik is also active
in examining other aspects related to the use of Torbangun such as development of
Torbangun vegetable product, packaging materials for Torbangun vegetable, beverage
product of Torbangun and use of Torbangun in women with pre-menstruation syndrome
(PMS). These studies were performed by Dr. Rizal Damanik in collaboration with universities
in the home country and abroad. Through these studies, a number of graduates with S1, S2
and S3 degrees (Bachelor, Master and Doctoral) have been generated.

Drh. Rizal Damanik, MRepSc, PhD, the second of four children, is the son of the late H.
Alexius Damanik, SH and Hj. Nur Ahat Sinaga and completed his bachelor degree in
veterinary medicines at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicines, IPB Bogor. He then received
AIDAB Scholarship of Australian Government to take a Master degree (Master of
Reproductive Sciences) at the Faculty of Medicine Monash University, Melbourne Australia in
1991. After finishing his Master program he returned to IPB as a lecturer at the Department of
Community Nutrition and Family Resources, Faculty of Agriculture IPB. In 2001, he again
obtained a scholarship from the Australian Government (AusAID) to take a doctoral program
at the Faculty of Medicine, Monash University. In the doctoral program at Monash University,
he managed to get 2 (two) awards associated with the materials of the research on
Torbangun namely (1) John Ledge Prize for Research Excellence and (2) Mollie Holman
Medal for Best Dissertation. Another acknowledgement is that his appointment as an
Honorary Research Fellow at the Asia Pacific Health & Nutrition Centre, Monash Asia
Institute, Monash University. In addition, in 2006 until 2009 he was involved in conducting
research about Torbangun in the Department of Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health
Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, as Visiting Assistant Professor.

From the results of this research on Torbangun several scientific articles have been written
and published in various international scientific journals (such as the Journal of Human
Lactation, Annals Nutrition & Metabolism, Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Malaysian
Journal of Medical Sciences), a number of paper presented in international conferences in
various countries such as Australia, Canada, China, Malaysia, and Thailand, and interviews in
the electronic (TVRI & Radio ABC Australia) and printed media (magazines and newspapers),
and educational programs in villages to inform the importance of breastfeeding in the
nutritional requirement for newborns. In the field of scientific publication, in 2008 Indonesia
Danone Institute has granted Dr. Damanik "Publication Award 2008".

In addition to his duties as a lecturer and Chairman of Graduate Programs, Department of

Community Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB, Dr. Rizal Damanik has until now
continued to carry out further research and collaborate to improve other dosage forms to
facilitate breast-feeding mothers to consume the leaves of Torbangun so that the nutritional
requirement of breastfeeding mothers and infants can be optimally achieved through a
sufficient supply of high-quality breast milk. He also plays an active role as a reviewer of both
the Indonesian Danone Institute and the Directorate of Research and Community Services at
the Ministry of Higher Education as well as various international scientific journals such as the
Asian Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Research Journal of Phytochemistry and the Journal of
Medicinal Plant Research.(mtd)