ABSTRACT
The family Gentianaceae consists of approximately 75 genera and about 1000 species of annual or perennial herbs, mainly belonging to the genus Gentiana, which includes about 400 species. A large number of Gentianaceae are bitter, but have been used in Western medicine to promote appetite. The plant, which is grown for ornamental purposes, grows from a rhizome and looks like a member of the family Nympheaceae. The plant is bitter and used to promote digestion in Indonesia. The pharmacological properties of Swertia javanica Bl. are to date unexplored. In Papua New Guinea, the plant is known as misuanto, auggi meritz, and used to promote pregnancy. In Vietnam, the plant is used to reduce fever, to invigorate, as a carminative, and as an antiscorbutic. The leaves of Gentianaceae are simple, mostly opposite, without stipules, often connate at the base or connected by a transverse line.
