Page 135 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

These factors enabled Dr Abdulkadir to develop a cure for diabetes from daun sambiloto
(leaves of the jujube tree; Andrographis paniculata), biji lamtoro (seeds of Chinese petay tree;
Leucaena glauca), bubukan pule (ground pulai wood; Alstonia scholaris) and binding materials. He
soon found it was equally effective for rheumatism, boils and skin diseases, lowering cholesterol and
reducing high blood pressure. He provided the plant and scientific input while his young wife, a
herbal medicine expert whose knowledge came from a childhood in the kraton, took care of the
production.
“Podosalametee”, which means to “to save yourself from harm” (in Javanese), may not be an
advertising man’s dream choice of name, but it was selected with care. Its fame spread as patients
and Dutch pharmacies asked for the herbal medicine. Although the Abdulkadirs never advertised and
the doctor hadn’t any plans to turn Podosalametee into big business, sales steadily increased.
Much of Podosalametee’s popularity rests on the fact that it doesn’t require patients to follow a
strict diet. It can be taken for longer periods than other diabetic medicines without causing side
effects. When patients stop taking it, their sugar levels stabilize instead of rocketing up, as often
happens with competitive products. Its main purpose is to make organs of the body function
normally, so it also contributes to overall health.

Podosalametee is produced in spotless conditions behind the family house and has undergone
a series of rigid clinical trials. However, the family has to date resisted overtures by the Department
of Health, who would like to increase output because it would mean moving from cottage industry to
full scale factory production. Currently, around 5,000 packets of these tiny pills are sold each month.
“We give away as much again in free samples,” the doctor’s daughter, Nyonya Harjono,
admits. “If someone is recommended to us by a friend and arrives with an empty packet, we
automatically give them five more without charging a single rupiah—rich or poor—it doesn’t matter,
our policy is the same.”