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PT Industri Jamu Dan Farmasi Sido Muncul Tbk. shipped its inaugural export of Tolak Angin Cair, its flagship product, to Saudi Arabia. Held on Monday (10/08/2020), the send-off ceremony for Tolak Angin’s inaugural export was live streamed from three locations: the Sido Muncul Factory in Ungaran, Semarang, Jawa Tengah; Sido Muncul marketing office in Jakarta; and, Saudi Arabia. The first-ever Tolak Angin export ceremony to Saudi Arabia was concluded with ribbon cutting and ceremonial breaking of the vase (pecah kendi) in Semarang.

Attending the inaugural export ceremony was Sido Muncul Director Irwan Hidayat; Deputy Head for Oversight of Traditional Medicine, Health Supplements, and Cosmetics Dra. RR. Maya Gustina Andarini; Director of the Assessment Institute for Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics Indonesian Council of Ulama Lukmanul Hakim; Director General of National Export Development Kasan Muhri; Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia to Saudi Arabia; Sido Muncul Distributor in Saudi Arabia Abdilah; Representation from the Class 1 Agriculture Quarantine Office of Semarang Heri Widarta, SP, M.Sc; and Sido Muncul Managements Maria Reviani Hidayat, Irnez Hidayat, Nadia Ardity, and Roy Anton.

“I would like to thank the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) for its assistance and facilitation that made this inaugural export possible. Going forward, Sido Muncul is planning to expand to other countries,” said Sido Muncul Director Irwan Hidayat.

Tolak Angin will be distributed to every Saudi Arabian mainstream market in order to allow consumers easy access to the product. Sido Muncul will be shipping one 20 ft container of Tolak Angin to Saudi Arabia.

In the occasion, Sido Muncul also presented the guests of honour with Tolak Angin’s laboratory testing results.

Tolak Angin’s Efficacy Test was conducted in 2007 by the Research Institute at the Faculty of Medicine of Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang under the supervision of Prof. dr. Edi Dharmana, M.Sc. Ph.D.Sp. The test found that taking two sachets of Tolak Angin a day increases overall T-cell count, an indicator of immunity in both healthy and non-healthy individuals.

Irwan emphasised that while Tolak Angin is able increase T-cell count, it does not protect against specific viruses. The COVID-19, for example, can only be treated using vaccines. The approach also applies for other viral diseases. Nonetheless, Tolak Angin can be taken to enhance the immune system. In recent news, the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca’s research into the coronavirus vaccine suggested that antibodies and T-cells may be able to supress and neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“Tolak Angin is different from vaccines. The Oxford vaccine is believed to increase antibody and T-lymphocyte counts to protect against the virus. Immunostimulants such as Tolak Angin helps to boost general immunity. It is not specific to the COVID-19,” Irwan emphasised.

In addition to the efficacy testing, Tolak Angin has undergone toxicity test in conjunction with the Faculty of Pharmacy of Universitas Sanata Dharma under the supervision of Apt Ipang Djunarko, M.Sc. The test found that Tolak Angin is safe to be consumed for 232 consecutive months at the recommended dose.

Sido Muncul’s success in exporting Tolak Angin is made possible by the Company’s compliance to regulations issued by the government and National Agency of Drug and Food Control. The inaugural export to Saudi Arabia shows that there is appetite for Indonesian herbal remedies in other countries.