Page 30 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

It would be wrong to assume these old manuscripts were only known to the

rich and well educated. The contents were usually written in verse and were sung
or intoned as part of regular public performances. Those who lacked formal
education became attentive listeners as they heard the pieces often, thereby
absorbing the endless flow of cultural information the verses contained. In this
way, Javanese philosophy and knowledge were spread to all levels of society.
As well as the more disciplined approach to herbal medicine promoted by
the various kraton, many other healing traditions exist in other parts of the
archipelago. A wide range of healing practices can be found in Bali, Sumatra,
Kalimantan and Madura, which are also renowned for the use of magic and
aphrodisiacs. Java, however, is in a class of it own, due to the all-embracing
nature of the cures, their success, and their links to the palaces; jamu from the

areas around a kraton was, and still is, considered to be the best in terms of
status, prestige and—ultimately—efficacy. In much the same way that today’s
designer goods carry a mark of quality and are deemed superior to mass-
produced goods, so it was with jamu.

Developments in the 20th Century
Indonesia’s medical profession only realized the true value of its natural
apothecary in around 1940. In June of that year, a meeting took place in
Surakarta that was to revolutionize the future of traditional medicine: the Second
Congress of the Indonesian Physcians Association. To coincide with this event,
the Mothers’ Association of Yogyakarta decided to mount a special Expo entitled
‘Traditional Indonesian Remedies’. It is uncertain who influenced whom, but
before the Congress ended, a motion was passed recommending an in-depth
study of traditional medicine and its applications. This was the first step towards
improving the status of jamu and transforming it to complementary medicine
status.

LOOKING BACK TO THE COLONIAL DAYS

In 1968, Tong Tong magazine printed an article by a Dutch woman who was brought up in Indonesia.
The extract below is reprinted by kind permission of Tong Tong in the Hague.

“The article in Tong Tong No. 13 from the Indische (Indonesian Newspaper) of 1910
reminded me of the traditional recipes my mother made from leaves, barks, seeds and roots. When I
was a small child the doctor never came to our house because we couldn’t expect him to come out for
every little illness.
“That’s why my mother made her own medicines. She made a compress of daon inggoe