Page 173 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

their products to be known as medicine.” The gamble paid off handsomely, such

that Refreshing Solution is now available in strawberry, apple, melon and other
flavours.
Jamu has also been given a new twist by another product called Coffee
Racik. Add ground cardamom, cumin, Javanese brown sugar, kencur, cinnamon
and ginger root juice to pure ground coffee and you have the drink that keeps
you healthy without the usual bitter jamu taste. Racik actually means ‘blending
the right ingredients’; the product is known as the answer to colds, tiredness,
rheumatics, sore throats and body odour. All this, and delicious coffee too, for a
reasonable price.

Such new ideas are not exclusive to the beverage industry. Producers of
jamu and cosmetics have been introducing herbal remedies in the form of curing
teas in sachets, capsules and tablets. Cosmetic ranges have been developed for
problem teenage skins, anti-ageing, anti-wrinkling and with a built-in Sun
Protection Factor (SPF). Beauty salons have introduced aromatherapy massage
using their own local, aromatherapy oils with tempting ingredients, including
ginger, nutmeg, peppermint, lemon, cloves, white cumin, cinnamon, cardamom
and fennel, while perfumes are derived from sandalwood, vetiver, roses and
ylang-ylang flowers.

Packaging, too, is being given a new look. While advertising literature once
appeared only in Bahasa Indonesia, it is now being printed in English as well.
Jamu is being prepared for foreign markets and companies are thinking export.
Undismayed by the maze of legalities and hurdles like America’s Food and Drug
Administration control, at least nine companies are exploring overseas markets
and are not confining their interests to Asia alone. Two producers have already
gone public to finance their export plans.

The directors of Traditional Medicine at the Department of Health have
visited Europe and America to study import restrictions and approach regulatory
boards. Many countries are suspicious of products that have not been
‘scientifically proven’; it matters not that a remedy has been going strong for
thousands of years. However, some jamu companies have had limited success in
foreign markets.
In the case of the recent aromatherapy boom in the West, it is the public that

seems to be leading the trend. Books on aromatheraphy are fast sellers, and
numerous training courses have sprung up to teach people about the benefits of
this ancient art. However, it is still an unknown quantity in a number of ways.
Many essential oils used in aromatherapy have been tested only recently, and the
hazards of misapplication or misuse are not readily advertised. Many people are