Page 177 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

In megatrend 2000, John Naisbitt and Patricia Abuderne put forward the

hypothesis that a reawakening of traditional culture is inevitable in the 21st
century. Many Javanese share this view, as prophesized by Sabdopalon 500 years
ago when the Majapahit kingdom fell. Indonesian psychic and international
lawyer, Permadi Satrio Wiwoho sees man at a period of transition. He believes
there will be a major change globally because people are growing tired of
technology, modern drugs and their side effects. He predicts modern medicine
and what is now called traditional medicine will exchange roles. Permadi also
points out that having failed to find a cure for AIDS and cancer, Western
scientists now believe the answer could lie with two natural herbs currently
undergoing tests. One day in the not too distant future, he sees medicine again
being accompanied by mantras and prayer.

It is a fact that even without the benefit of expensive modern products,
Indonesian women are amazingly well preserved, even after producing large
families. Indonesians, including some doctors as well as many foreigners living
in Indonesia, swear by jamu. Statistics prove that exports of medicinal plants and
traditional medicine have increased substantially. The government is now
beginning to take this industry seriously and scientific testing is slowly tipping
the scales in favour of jamu and traditional medicine.
Will people living in the West resist this Eastern promise of health and

beauty? Westerners who have lived in Indonesia are perhaps atypical. They have
seen, experienced and, in most cases, been thoroughly impressed by the curative
powers of jamu. They have learned that traditional treatments can work where
their own clinically proven drugs have failed. The prognosis for jamu is good,
but to successfully put these products on the international map requires a fair
amount of education, enthusiasm, tenacity and a substantial marketing budget.
Recently, the creation of websites and e-mail addresses for ordering jamu
over the World Wide Web have elicited interest (see page 183). It is certainly
facilitating the dissemination of knowledge about jamu and will hopefully make
jamu more accessible to new users in this new millennium. Similarly, it is hoped
that this book will go some way towards clarification and changing

misconceptions.
The final words on this subject rightly belong to the famous herbalist, J T
Lembong, who stated: “A medical system persisting for many centuries and
bringing relief to so many millions cannot be entirely false. Assuming medical
professionals in East and West can set aside their jealousies and work as a team,
patients of the future could benefit from the best health service the world has
ever known.” Hopefully, that day is not far away.