Page 84 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

treat rheumatics or wind.

An unusual member of the group is kayu angin (usnea thallus), whose
Indonesian name means ‘windy wood’. This pale grey lichen hangs from trees in
high, moist, windy places, and is an astringent and anti-spasmodic that helps
intestinal problems and bowel complaints. People burned kayu angin in the
house, believing the lichen could combat evil spirits and wind-borne disease in
the same way it filtered wind when hanging down from the branches of trees.

Kayu ular (Strychnos lucida) and sidowayah (Woodfordia fruticosa) are two
essentials for tonics, constipation and bowel remedies. Both are used in medium
to large amounts, and because of their rarity, are becoming very expensive.
As it is impossible to find substitutes for many of these plants and trees,
botanists would like to see their natural habitats designated as conservation areas
and protected by government regulation. Another option is to follow a selective
picking system. One such example is a scheme already operating on the Dieng
Plateau in Central Java, where people living in the vicinity are allowed only to

pick shoots from the top of the purwoceng plant, leaving the rest of the plant
alone to encourage its recovery and regrowth.
To handle what is fast becoming an emergency, it makes sense to enlist the
aid of professionals at the botanical and medicinal plant gardens who have the
expertise to store seeds, pollen or tissue cultures. If special plantations are set up,
the outlook is promising. If not, the loss of vitally important plants is inevitable.
Geography has made Indonesia custodian of approximately 10 per cent of the
world’s plants. This quirk of nature means that the country is under enormous
pressure from scientific communities worldwide to take better care of her natural
heritage. The dilemma its leaders now face is how to simultaneously preserve

this legacy for the future and continue reaping its benefits, without destroying
the resources they are trying to preserve.

Why We Still Need Plants

With ample supplies of synthetic drugs nowadays, do we really need nature’s
help anymore? Surprisingly, nearly 40 per cent of modern medicines is derived
from plants, so the answer is clear. Also, in the past decade, the unpleasant side
effects that accompany certain drugs have encouraged some Westerners to return
to natural therapies. Many Indonesians who have tasted Western medicine are
also returning to old-fashioned, natural remedies. Consequently, demand for
medicinal herbs has risen.