Page 101 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

almost impossible to cultivate and are consequently very rare. The white Java Plum tree fruit is
usually taken with coffee and is famous for treating diabetes. The black fruit, on the other hand, is
also an excellent cure for diabetes; it is wonderful to eat, very sweet and widely available.
A special section has been created for classical plants, a term applied to plants traditionally
grown in the palace grounds. In this category Pak Talib is justifiably proud of his kepel trees
(Stelechocarpus burahol). “The fruit removes the smell of urine or underarm odour, and also tastes
delicious,” he says.
Adjoining the classical garden is a special layout of herbs and plants specially grown to the
requirements of Dr Sulis from the Public Health Service Centre in Yogyakarta. Pak Talib’s design
worked so well that it has been adopted as the model for the city and surrounding area.
A pragmatist at heart, Pak Talib has an ingenious solution to combat the increasing lack of
space as Java’s population expands—to grow important medicinal trees and shrubs as bonsai
miniatures. “They are decorative, space-saving, absorb weather pollution and provide fresh
ingredients for making jamu and other remedies,” he asserts. He has already produced a jerek kingkip
bonsai and successfully experimented with boiling up its red berries to make cough mixture.
Tamarind, too, has been dwarfed and work is progressing on other specimens.
The Talib plants represent over 1,000 varieties, which they claim provide the necessary
materials for 52 different traditional medicines. While most growers fight shy of the rare or delicate
species, Pak Talib enjoys the challenge of nurturing them from propagation to maturity. He insists
that “problem plants don’t exist— every plant is easy to grow”.