Mesoyi (Cryptocarya massoia)

This plant contains various bioactive compounds, including alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and essential oils. Massoialactone components are also prominent, with the C-10 compound (5,6-dihydro-6-pentyl-2H-pyran-2-one) making up 65% and the C-12 compound (5,6-dihydro-6-heptyl-2H-pyran-2-one) accounting for 17%.

In Java, communities have long used massoy as a traditional medicine to treat vaginal discharge, abdominal cramps, and to cleanse the body after childbirth (Shanti & Izzati, 2014). Further studies have shown that massoy is also effective against infections caused by the fungus Candida albicans (Kishimoto, Mochida, & Fujita, 2005). Compounds in massoy have been shown to inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by 41.34% and Staphylococcus aureus by 30.98%, and exhibit antibiofilm activity against C. albicans. Massoy oil can even inhibit the formation of and reduce dual-species biofilms such as P. aeruginosa–S. aureus and C. albicans–S. aureus. Thus, massoy possesses antibacterial, anti-infection, anti-inflammatory, and antibiofilm properties, making it a potential natural therapeutic agent.