Page 176 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

as people are increasingly disillusioned with orthodox medicine, for though there

is much to be said in favour of modern drugs, they can bring unwelcome side
effects and patients are looking elsewhere.
A statement made by the British Medical Council some years ago admitted
that a high percentage of diagnoses were inaccurate, but there was nothing to
worry about as antibiotics were usually prescribed and they cured 70 per cent of
all known illnesses. A decade later, the same elite body is telling doctors to stop
over-prescribing antibiotics because excessive use renders the drugs less
effective. Given this less than encouraging news, is it any wonder faith in back-
to-nature treatments is growing apace?

Scientific proof, however, is a big issue. In Indonesia, debate rages on
between the jamu industry and the medical profession. Manufacturers argue the
cost of testing is prohibitive, when ranges comprise upwards of 200 items. They
also maintain that since people have used certain herbs for generations without
harm, the cures cannot be toxic. However, many doctors are not prepared to
accept such unsubstantiated evidence without scientific proof. As far back as
1993, a report in business Indonesia stated: “It is clear that clinical testing is
precisely what is required for jamu to enter the export market. Even if clinical
tests prove their efficacy, jamu needs more than reliable test results to be sold to
the Western world. It is currently perceived as a strange elixir with a witches-

brew kind of aura about it.”
Medical and public concern are justified, but should the lack of formal
medical research worry prospective users? Perhaps not; consider this statement
made by Vincent Marks, Professor of Clinical Biochemistry at Surrey University
and spokesman for Healthwatch: “This lack of research is true of all alternative
or complementary medicines, but it’s also true of 80 per cent of orthodox
medicines. Medical intervention has little effect on most illnesses in the long run
—the vast majority of them get better of their own accord.”

It is a confusing situation, but increasingly, consumers are being offered
more choices. Between 1989 and 1995, British sales of herbal medicine rose by
70 per cent, while sales of herbal medicine (excluding homeopathic treatments)
in European Union countries jumped by 30 per cent during the same period.
Ironically, as the West looks to the East to solve its health problems, the

reverse occurs in Asia; Indonesians often adopt a starry eyed attitude towards
Western medical care. It has brought great improvement in countless areas, such
as the dramatic drop in Indonesia’s infant mortality rate; however, in other
situations, the tried and tested natural answer is often perfectly adequate—and
often cheaper.