Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have a long history of use rooted in local cultures and traditions due to a range of their pharmaceutical, cosmetic, perfumery, dietary and nutritional applications. The medicinal and aromatic plants play a significant role in ensuring health security of millions of people globally. Although a very large segment of the population in Papua New Guinea (PNG) meets its healthcare needs through herbal medicines and products, very little has been done to develop this sector. It is argued that exploitation of MAPs as a source of livelihood is no longer a viable option due to population pressure, over exploitation, conflict of interests in land use and impact of climate change. Nevertheless global demand for herbal supplements and remedies is very high, and given the unique biodiversity and thousands of plants species growing in PNG this sector deserves special attention and effort to promote medicinal and aromatic plants through cultivation supported by adequate research, development and extension activities in order to ensure their better conservation and utilization in trade and industry. Due to geographical location and remoteness, access to health services is limited in several parts of PNG. The use of medicinal plants and traditional medicine is widespread among these communities, thus presenting both challenges and opportunities. PNG has one of the lowest health indicators in the Pacific. The question is how best MAPs can be utilized for improving the health conditions? This paper attempts to assess the current status of production, utilization and commercial prospects of medicinal and aromatic plants in PNG and identify future needs of conservation and opportunities for their development.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic requires mobilization of existing and potential resources of health systems for coordinated effort from the grassroots to national level. In this context, the role of traditional medicine practitioners in the management of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses was investigated. The experiences, perceptions and beliefs of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) who access traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs), and the existing linkages between herbalists and other agencies working with PLHIV were also investigated. Specifically designed separate sets of questionnaires containing both closed and open ended questions were administered to herbalists, PLHIV, health workers and members of the community in the Provincial towns of Alotau and Popondetta and clusters of villages beside them. The findings indicate that conditions such as weight loss, diarrhoea, and opportunistic infections in general were believed to respond better to herbal medicines than hospital medicine and many herbalists were able to effectively treat these conditions in PLHIV. TMPs also provided other services such as counseling, advice on diet and healthy lifestyle. The existing linkage between TMPs and other sectors was weak as 80.3% indicated there was little or no collaboration. While 49% of the PLHIV responded better to herbal than hospital medicine, 15% did not, and 21% were not sure. The most common suggestions made were to include TMPs in the health care management for PLHIV and to provide them training in primary health care and HIV management. One general conclusion from many of the specific findings indicates that herbalists are providing positive support in alleviating suffering from HIV/AIDS patients, and may be a potential key to scaling up comprehensive care for HIV/AIDS in PNG as in other parts of the world.

Fungal endophytes are fungi that reside in tissues of healthy living plants offering chemical protection and promoting growth of host plants. The chemistry and biological properties of their secondary metabolites from monoaxenic cultures have been extensively studied, but co-culture techniques using endophytes remain largely unexplored. Co-culture of bacteria with endophytic fungi have shown to be effective, leading to the discovery of novel chemistry while simultaneously addressing the problem of rediscovery of known metabolites from the monoaxenic culture techniques. Forty microliters (40μL) of culture broth consisting of monoaxenic and co-cultures were placed in separate agar wells with 5μg ciprofloxacin as positive control. The co-culture broth from one unidentified endophytic fungus with B. subtilis showed a marked zone of inhibition measuring 24.7 ±0.6 mm in comparison to ≥21.0 mm as the sensitivity range for ciprofloxacin against Escherichia coli while its monoaxenic culture exhibited no inhibition, but furthermore showed moderate activity (16.7 ± 1.2 mm) against B. subtilis. The isolation and chemical characterization of the active component and the mechanism of B.subtilis induction is under investigation. It is hoped that this unique Papua New Guinea endophyte will provide broad-spectrum antibiotic to combat the growing global problem of drug resistant infections.

Endophytic microorganisms are recognized as potential source of novel chemical molecules that might be useful in the treatment of infectious diseases. In this study, six medicinal plants (Morinda citrifolia, Plumeria rubra, Artocarpus altilis, Musa nana, Sansevieria trifasciata and Saccharum officinarum) traditionally. They are used for treatment or management of symptoms such as cough, fever and skin diseases, were investigated for the antimicrobial activity of metabolites produced by endophytic microorganisms. Seven endophytes were isolated using the mycological media, potato dextrose agar (PDA). Three of the endophytes were identified as fungi from the Aspergillus species, three as actinomycetes and one as a gram negative bacterium. All endophytic isolates were subjected to anti-bacterial, anti-tuberculosis (TB), anti-fungal, anti-HIV, and cytotoxicity assays using micro-broth dilution assay technique in sterile 96-well plates. All isolates displayed antimicrobial activity inhibiting at least one of the test pathogens at the concentration of 100μg/ml. Of the 7 endophytic isolates, 6 isolates were active against TB, 7 were active against the bacterial test pathogens, and 2 were active against fungi while none were active against HIV. From the 7 isolates, 3 were non-toxic to mammalian cells at a concentration of 100μg/ml.