Page 48 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

Doctors at Sentra P3T have conducted a number of preliminary clinical

trials on selected remedies. The list includes garlic (bawang putih; Allium
sativum) for hypertension; caricature plant (handeuleum; graptophyllum pictum)
for haemorrhoids; guava leaves (jambu biji; psidium guajava) for diarrhoea;
round turmeric (temu lawak; curcuma xanthorrhiza) for chronic hepatitis and
osteoarthritis; cashew nut fruit (kacang mede; Anacardium occidentale) to
reduce pain in acute toothache; and pare fruit or bitter gourd (momordica
charantia) to treat diabetes mellitus.
The Research Centre for Traditional Medicine in Yogyakarta has also
completed the first phase of a study to evaluate the effect of cashew nut leaves in
treating rheumatoid arthritis and hypertension. Similar work is being carried out
on turmeric (kunir; curcuma domestica) and its potential to cure ulcers, and to

confirm whether the juice of bitter gourd can help diabetes sufferers. In addition,
the research programme is studying dosages, especially as regards Westerners,
who may need smaller quantities than people who have taken herbal medicines
from birth.
In the early 1990s, the Toray Foundation in Bandung carried out a scientific
study to find out whether the very popular product, Pegal Linu (see page 10) had
any positive effect on the health of becak (trishaw) drivers whose complaints
included aches, pains, rheumatics and fatigue. Pegal Linu is composed of,

amongst other things, turmeric, ginger, galangal and pepper. The investigating
team concluded that it made a substantial difference to the drivers, as it restored
energy and reduced muscular pain significantly.
Assuming scientists manage, despite all the obstacles, to complete their
experiments and publish their findings, they are more than likely to face a
barrage of abuse from the various jamu companies who protest that competitors
will steal the formulæ if results list chemical components. Yet, notwithstanding
all these difficulties, the government continues with its testing programmes,
owing to an increasing awareness of the export potential of the country’s myriad
jamu products.

The Professional Viewpoint
For Indonesians, Western medicine is a recent and expensive phenomenon. Not
only are allopathic drugs and ointments well beyond the pocket of the average

Indonesian, but they are not a tempting alternative to jamu which has been used
successfully for generations.
Although there are detractors who consider herbal medicine ineffective,
jamu is gaining ground. There is no doubt that jamu mixtures are full of active,