Jamu
Encyclopedia
Jamu is traditional medicine
in Indonesia
. It is predominantly herbal medicine made from natural materials, such as parts of plants such as roots, leaves and bark, and fruit. There is also material from the bodies of animals, such as bile of goat or alligator used.
In many large cities jamu herbal medicine is sold on the street by hawkers carry a refreshing drink, usually bitter but sweetened with honey. Herbal medicine is also produced in factories by large companies such as Fountain, Nyonya Meneer or Djamu Djago, and sold at various drug stores in sachet packaging. Packaged dried jamu should be dissolved in hot water first before drinking. Nowadays herbal medicine is also sold in the form of tablets, caplets and capsules.
some 1300 years ago. Though heavily influenced by Ayurveda
from India, Indonesia is a vast archipelago with numerous indigenous plants not found in India, and include plants similar to Australia
beyond the Wallace Line
. Jamu may vary from region to region, and often not written down, especially in remote areas of the country.
Jamu was (and is) practiced by indigenous physicians (dukuns). However, it is generally prepared and prescribed by women, who sell it on the streets. Generally, the different jamu prescriptions are not written down but handed down between the generations. Some early handbooks, however, have survived. A jamu handbook that was used in households throughout the Indies was published in 1911 by Mrs. Kloppenburg-Versteegh .
One of the first European physicians to study jamu was Jacobus Bontius
(Jacob de Bondt), who was a physician in Batavia (today's Jakarta) in the early seventeenth century. His writings contain information about indigenous medicine.. A comprehensive book on indigenous herbal medicine in the Indies was published by Rumphius, who worked on Ambon during the early eighteenth century. He published a book called Herbaria Amboinesis (The Ambonese Spice Book). During the nineteenth century, European physicians had a keen interest in jamu, as they often did not know how to treat the diseases they encountered in their patients in the Indies. The German physician Carl Waitz published on jamu in 1829. In the 1880s and 1890s, A.G. Vorderman published extensive accounts on jamu as well. Pharmacological research on herbal medicine was undertaken by M. Greshoff and W.G. Boorsma at the pharmacological laboratory at the Bogor Botanical Garden
Traditional medicine
Traditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It is predominantly herbal medicine made from natural materials, such as parts of plants such as roots, leaves and bark, and fruit. There is also material from the bodies of animals, such as bile of goat or alligator used.
In many large cities jamu herbal medicine is sold on the street by hawkers carry a refreshing drink, usually bitter but sweetened with honey. Herbal medicine is also produced in factories by large companies such as Fountain, Nyonya Meneer or Djamu Djago, and sold at various drug stores in sachet packaging. Packaged dried jamu should be dissolved in hot water first before drinking. Nowadays herbal medicine is also sold in the form of tablets, caplets and capsules.
History
It is claimed to have originated in the Mataram KingdomMataram Kingdom
The Medang or Mataram Kingdom was a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that flourished between the 8th and 10th centuries CE. It was based in Central Java, and later in East Java. Established by King Sanjaya, the founder of the Sanjaya dynasty, the kingdom was ruled by the Sailendra and Sanjaya families...
some 1300 years ago. Though heavily influenced by Ayurveda
Ayurveda
Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
from India, Indonesia is a vast archipelago with numerous indigenous plants not found in India, and include plants similar to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
beyond the Wallace Line
Wallace Line
The Wallace Line separates the ecozones of Asia and Wallacea, a transitional zone between Asia and Australia. West of the line are found organisms related to Asiatic species; to the east, a mixture of species of Asian and Australian origin is present...
. Jamu may vary from region to region, and often not written down, especially in remote areas of the country.
Jamu was (and is) practiced by indigenous physicians (dukuns). However, it is generally prepared and prescribed by women, who sell it on the streets. Generally, the different jamu prescriptions are not written down but handed down between the generations. Some early handbooks, however, have survived. A jamu handbook that was used in households throughout the Indies was published in 1911 by Mrs. Kloppenburg-Versteegh .
One of the first European physicians to study jamu was Jacobus Bontius
Jacobus Bontius
Jacobus Bontius was a Dutch physician, a pioneer of tropical medicine. He is known for the four-volume work De medicina Indorum.-Life:...
(Jacob de Bondt), who was a physician in Batavia (today's Jakarta) in the early seventeenth century. His writings contain information about indigenous medicine.. A comprehensive book on indigenous herbal medicine in the Indies was published by Rumphius, who worked on Ambon during the early eighteenth century. He published a book called Herbaria Amboinesis (The Ambonese Spice Book). During the nineteenth century, European physicians had a keen interest in jamu, as they often did not know how to treat the diseases they encountered in their patients in the Indies. The German physician Carl Waitz published on jamu in 1829. In the 1880s and 1890s, A.G. Vorderman published extensive accounts on jamu as well. Pharmacological research on herbal medicine was undertaken by M. Greshoff and W.G. Boorsma at the pharmacological laboratory at the Bogor Botanical Garden
Popularity among physicians
Indonesian physicians were initially not very interested in jamu. During the second conference of the Indonesian Association of Physicians, held in Solo in March 1940, two presentations on the topic were given. During the Japanese occupation, Indonesia's Jamu Committee was formed in 1944. During the following decades, the popularity of jamu increased, although physicians had rather ambivalent opinions about it.Form
Jamu is often distributed in the form of powder, pills, capsules, and drinking liquid. Jamu shops, which sell only ingredients or prepare the jamu on spot as required by buyers, as well as women roaming the street to sell jamu, is a commonly seen way to distribute jamu in Indonesia. Nowadays, Jamu is also mass manufactured and exported. There are often concerns as to quality, consistency, and cleanliness in not only the locally distributed but also manufactured forms.Non-health
There are a few non-health related uses for jamu, which give it a bad reputation, among others, those which are used to enhance sexual pleasure rather than specifically cure illness. There are kinds of Jamu to increase stamina for men, tighten the vagina for women (with names like Sari Rapat (“Essence of Tightness”), Rapat Wangi (“Tight and Fragrant”), and even Empot Ayam (“Tight as a Chicken’s Anus”). Of course in a Muslim country these products are considered by some to be sinful, though for many women who consume it for such reasons it is to ward off promiscuity.Herbs for Jamu
There are hundreds of herbs for jamu prescriptions, some are:- Spices:
- GingerGingerGinger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
(Zingiber officinale) - Lempuyang (Zingiber oronaticum)
- Temu Lawak Wild GingerWild gingerWild ginger may refer to any of a variety of plants, often with a similar appearance, odour or taste to cultivated ginger. Species involved include:*Any of the Alpinia species, especially A. caerulea....
(Curcuma cautkeridza) - Kunyit Tumeric (Curcuma domestica)
- Kencur Greater Galingale
- Lengkuas Ginger Plant (Elpina galanga)
- Bengle (Zingiber bevifalium)
- Ginger
- Leaves:
- Secang (Caesalpinia sappan)
- Sambang Dara (Rexco ecaria)
- Brotowali (Tinospora rumpii)
- Adas (Foeniculum vulgareFennelFennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...
Mill)
- Fruits:
- Jeruk Nipis CalamondinCalamondin× Citrofortunella microcarpa, the Calamondin or Calamansi, is a fruit tree in the family Rutaceae, commonly called the calamondin, golden lime, panama orange, chinese orange, acid orange, calamonding, or calamandarin in English. It is believed to originate from China and has spread throughout...
(Citrae aurantifalia Sivingle) - Ceplukan (Physalis angulataPhysalis angulataPhysalis angulata is a widely-distributed herbaceous annual plant with common name of Fisalia, belonging to the nightshade family Solanaceae. It is known by several names, including Cutleaf groundcherry, Wild tomato, Camapu and Winter cherry...
) - Nyamplung (Calophylum)
- Jeruk Nipis Calamondin
- Barks
- Kayu Manis CinnamonCinnamonCinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
- Kayu Manis Cinnamon
- Flowers
- Melati JasmineJasmineJasminum , commonly known as jasmines, is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family . It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World...
- Alang-alang (Imperata cylindrica)
- Melati Jasmine
Types
- Jamu Gendong (usually sold by carrying a basket of bottled handmade jamus)
- Jamu beras kencur (galingal rice) for elimination of physical sores
- Jamu Kunir Asam (tumeric acid) for to cool the body (sakit panas) or facilitate menstruation
- Jamu Sinom
- Jamu Cabe Puyang (chili) for elimination of stiffness or fever
- Jamu Pahitan for itching and diabetes, lack of appetite, eliminate body odor, lower cholesterol , abdominal bloating, acne, and dizziness.
- Jamu Kunci Suruh for candidasis, tighten the female sex (vagina), eliminates body odor, shrink the uterus and stomach, and is said to strengthen the teeth.
- Jamu Kudu Laos for lowering blood pressure, improving blood circulation, warming the body, increasing appetite.
- Jamu Uyup-uyup/Gepyokan for increasing breast milk production and to cool the body.