UNAIR NEWS – Celery has many benefits, especially its leaf. Celery leaf extract can treat various diseases, including kidney stones. This topic was presented by the Faculty of Advanced Technology and Multidiscipline Universitas Airlangga (FTMM UNAIR) team in the National Scientific Poster Competition (LKPIN) held by Edutainer Nusantara.
FTMM UNAIR team placed fourth in the LKPIN competition themed “Innovation acceleration for Independent Indonesia.” The team consisted of two students from the Nanotechnology Engineering department who studied the benefits of the celery leaf extract for kidney stones. The scientific poster titled “Utilization of Celery Leaf Extract for Kidney Stones” made Alifya Putri Nurisca and Tiara Cindy Prastika receive a bronze medal.
To UNAIR NEWS, on March 1, 2022, Alifya presented their preparation for participating in the competition as the team leader. Alifya revealed that every preparation was done in a short period because both of them were busy with university assignments. Material preparation and poster creation, she continued, was done only for two days.
“For the registration, we registered one day before it closed,” she remembered.
She added that the idea for the research started from a class assignment that asked the students to create a business about health that had never existed. Alifya and Tiara decided to make nano powder from celery leaf extract mixed in meals. The advantage of this nano powder is its nano size (small, ed), so it could reach the target directly, that is, the kidneys.
In celery, there is potassium content that could break kidney stones. We made the potassium content to nano to be more effective to break kidney stone,” Alifya explained.
Even so, Alifya did not expect her team to win. She already felt happy to participate in LKPIN because she could learn from other candidates’ innovations. “What is important is getting an experience. Losing is common, but the important thing is knowledge and experience. It’s the process, and winning is a bonus,” she said.
As a closing statement, Alifya gave tips in participating in the scientific poster competitions. Alifya suggested focusing on a topic we mastered and present attractive work that could be implemented easily.
“Don’t just get stuck on becoming a winner, but do the best because our purpose actually is to find new experience and knowledge,” she uttered. (*)
Author: Dewi Yugi Arti
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
