LOCATED close to the Brunei-Limbang borderlies a unique recreational park that aims to educate locals and tourists alike on local herbs and its uses; the Kampung Putat Recreational Herb Garden.
Kampung Putat is located in Mukim Lumapas and is about 15 minutes away from the capital, using boat or about an hour’s drive away from the capital.
I heard about the herb garden when I was tasked to cover a visit by Women’s Bureau of Kampong Birau to the herb garden earlier this month.
I was intrigued by the concept of introducing or reintroducing the various herbs that exist in the country and the various medicinal uses of these herbs.
I made a trip to the park on a separate day to talk to the Village Chief of Kampong Putat, Yang Berhormat Hj Jumat Akim who gave me a background on the garden and educate me on some of the more popular herbs available. “The idea to establish a herb garden came about when the roads through the village was upgraded and we found a nice patch of land that could be used to make something for the village,” said YB Hj Jumat.
He said at first that they wanted to make a gasing-playing arena but after seeing the various herbs and beautiful plants that grow in that patch of land, he put forth the idea to create a herb garden to set themselves apart from the other recreational parks in the country.
“Alhamdullilah, with the help of the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation, we officially launched the park in 2010 and since then we’ve added facilities such as toilets, benches, huts and walkways,” he added.
The garden is five acres wide with about 95 different types of herbs in it, all of which have various medicinal and cosmetic purposes. There are six huts in the garden, which comes with a trash can and a barbecue stove with various benches scattered about the five-acre park.
Some of the herbs are commonly known such as Seri Rama, or more popularly known as Tongkat Ali(Eurycoma Longifolia) or Temulawak (Javanese Ginger, Curcuma Zanthorrhiza) while many others that I did not recognise with names such as Sinaran Bulan, Kunyit Hantu, Pulas Sari and many more.
“About 50 villagers attended a workshop held by the Agriculture Department and a Malaysian expert on how to identify, care for and harvest the herbs for various uses,” he said, adding that some of the older villagers would supplement the knowledge that they had with the course.
Most of the herbs in the park are unlabelled to prevent people from identifying and taking the herbs for themselves. Only the guides and caretakers of the park know which herbs are which. As such, if a layperson were to just come to the garden, they would not appreciate the garden and what it offers. However with their knowledgeable guides, the garden becomes a fascinating treasure trove of ancient herbal remedies.
The chief has more plans in store for the park, and the village as a whole, such as expanding the park and providing a home stay programme.
One of the challenges was the large distance and how far it is by car.
“Hopefully, once the Jalan Residency bridge is complete, it will greatly ease the access to our park and bring more eco-tourists to visit our village,” YB Hj Jumat said, adding that until then, they will continue on improving the park and its offerings.
Getting a guide is not difficult. Just contact the village chief at 8902109 or his spouse, Hjh Rokiah Hj Tahir at 8624425, and for $5 per visitor, they would arrange a guide to show the visitors around.
Even more, for $10 extra, they would prepare food for the visitors and much more, such as playing traditional games and a demonstration on the preparation of the village’s products.
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