Page 151 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

example, Sari Ayu Jamu Pamor (pamor meaning lustre) combines Javanese

turmeric and wild ginger, for digestion and skin toning, with temu giring
(curcuma heyneana) and other herbs, to improve blood circulation and increase
vitality. The result is healthy, radiant skin. Although the dosage is ten pills three
times a day, it is worth the effort. In addition to the skin products, taking a
slimming or rejuvenating jamu at the same time is highly recommended. Jamu
Awet Muda (Lasting Youth Jamu), a vitamin E-rich mix of turmeric and black
soybean sprouts, promotes the growth of healthy cells and revitalizes the body
by improving the digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Not all the problems experienced in the Western world are the same as
those in the East, or vice versa. A tropical climate can help beauty care because
skin perspires, a natural process that forces impurities out through the pores.

Therefore, clogged pores—the bane of city-dwellers in Europe—are rare in Asia,
particularly since most people shower twice a day. Climate is also the reason
Indonesian women use Bedak Dingin or Cooling Powder for the face. The
famous rice powder, mixed with rose water for normal skin, or fresh cow’s milk
for dry skin, absorbs perspiration and keeps skin cool. If excess oil is a problem,
water is added to the powder together with a little black tamarind, processed to
reduce its excessive acidity, which removes excess oil and closes the pores.
Today there are shop-bought equivalents of the same product.

Other treatments include a full complement of natural body peeling
powders, scrub lotions, oils and hand creams, breast treatments, shampoos and
conditioners, not to mention the Indonesian cosmetics themselves. Ingredients
for these run the whole gamut from fruit and vegetables to herbs and spices. One
finds no less than nine kinds of ginger, lemons, lime, carrots, spinach, celery,
rice, coconuts, oranges, aloe vera, ylang-ylang and roses, as well as copious
amounts of betel leaves, tamarind, eggs, honey and sandalwood in such
products.

SEVERE SKIN PROBLEMS

June Coe is married to an engineer who has worked on projects all over the world. As a result, she
has coped with a host of different climates and conditions without suffering any ill effects. However,
when she moved to Hong Kong some years ago, her hands started causing trouble. The skin became
cracked, red, swollen and extremely painful. The doctor diagnosed it as an allergy—and it didn’t heal
until they moved to another country.
During the eight years the Coes lived in Indonesia, June’s hands were periodically sore but the
problem disappeared on their return to England. Two years later they were back in Jakarta and the
long-forgotten skin complaint reappeared. This time, she decided to try some jamu pills called