Page 148 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

Jamu Darmi’s Tapel or Poultice B is another example of an external remedy

working together with jamu. The poultice reinforces the work of Jamu Galian
Bersalin by tightening the overstretched skin of the stomach from the outside.
For slow recovery, fatigue, or headaches and dizziness, a compress made by Air
Mancur is effective, as is Jamu Darmi’s delightfully named ‘Star in Your Eyes’,
a pilis that is applied to the forehead.

Exotic Fragrances
No woman’s beauty routine is complete without perfume. Fragrances came
mostly from flowers but one of the most popular was musk oil. Courtiers used
this oil to make an incense called dedes. It even travelled to Europe, where ladies
from the Court of Versailles considered it a rival to French perfumes.
In The History of Jawa, published in 1817, Sir Stamford Raffles noted that
Indonesian ladies loved fragrances such as sandalwood, gandapura (musk
mallow), kluangan (patchouli; pogostemon cablin), orange, gaharu (Aquilaria
malaccensis) and kelembak (Java rhubarb) oil. Today, women can enjoy the

combination of kelembak (rheum sp.), mangir (barks used in body scrub creams)
and floral essence, which are the ingredients of the popular product called Lulur
Sari Bunga. They can also opt for natural oils, made from sandalwood or akar
wangi (vetiver; vetiveria zizanioides), which smell wonderful on warm skin.
Pulverized roots and leaves, such as turmeric, rose myrtle and temu giring (a
type of ginger), are used in a mixture of lulur and mangir, to render the skin
smooth, clean and fragrant.
Mustika Ratu makes Jamu Kesepuhan, for those experiencing menopause.

It encourages relaxation, improves blood circulation and aids digestion. In old
age, other jamu take over: Jamu Pare Anom, a revitalizing formula, delays the
ageing process, prevents wrinkles, keeps skin firm, prevents hair from turning
white, and reputedly guards against tooth loss. Sari Beras Kencur from Jamu
Darmi guards against low blood pressure, certain rheumatic complaints and poor
blood circulation.

Lotions, Potions and Cosmetics: A Dazzling Array
Today, few Indonesians make jamu at home because the process takes too long,
and the ingredients are often difficult to find. Only the simple practices are still
followed, for example left-over tea water (which has mild astringent and
antioxidant properties) is put outside overnight for cleansing the face, preventing
wrinkles, and rinsing the hair to discourage hair loss. Dandruff can be treated
with pineapple and the scalp can be rubbed with aloe vera to encourage new hair
growth. Hence, business has increased for jamu gendong, and sales of factory-