Page 114 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

Money Massage
Called kerokan, this technique can make a patient look as if he has been

viciously attacked. A coin is dragged diagonally across the skin, leaving livid red
lines as the masseur works on the back, neck, shoulders, backside, stomach, and
sometimes feet. Kerokan is painless if correctly administered.
Most kampung people living traditional lifestyles, particularly in North
Java, utilize kerokan to alleviate colds and colic. According to Indonesian belief,
it expels bad wind from the body: wind (known as masuk angin) embraces a host
of illnesses from feeling unwell, tired, weak or stiff to aching bones, pins and
needles or the common cold. But in all cases the root cause is seen as abnormal
blood circulation or malfunctioning red blood cells, a problem kerokan alleviates
very successfully. If a medical doctor diagnoses wind—or gas—in the abdomen,

kerokan is often recommended to relieve the nausea and discomfort. This is
because it encourages the patient to belch thus, it is said, removing any
impurities.

MASSAGE POINTERS FROM AN EXPERT

Ibu Evelyn, one-time employee of the Department of Health Education and physiotherapist to the
Indonesian Olympic team, is an experienced masseuse with considerable training in alternative
medicines. She not only studied in Indonesia but took time out to learn the ancient traditions of
acupuncture, reflexology and pressure point massage in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
She cites today’s lifestyle as a factor in many complaints. “People make themselves ill,” Ibu
Evelyn says. “The trouble usually begins on the inside; stress builds up slowly. It can literally take
years before it shows up as sickness. That’s why you can’t fix the problem overnight. It’s not like a
strained muscle.” Massage, she explains, is the best way to combat stress as it relaxes the body and