Page 172 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing
P. 172
CHAPTER 8
The Way Ahead
AS THE MEDIA AND THE INTERNET CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS
IMPROVING AWARENESS OF HEALTH AND FITNESS, PATIENTS ARE
BECOMING MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE. HOLISTIC MEDICINE IS ON THE
UPSURGE.
Indonesian traditional medicine has survived centuries of change and, despite
the advent of modern medicine, latest estimates from the Department of Health
reveal that 49 per cent of the population continue to drink herbal remedies.
Indonesian manufacturers are now looking at ways of expanding their markets
and introducing different types of herbal based products. Examples of these are
packaged drinks sold under the health banner. They still use jamu as their unique
selling point and have turned its magic appeal to advantage.
In September 1995, an Asian Wall Street Journal editorial related that
Indonesians still equate jamu with health. The newspaper documented the
extraordinary success of Refreshing Solution, a packaged drink that looks and
tastes like water. Refreshing Solution claims to both cure and prevent “mouth
ulcers, sore throats, constipation and what Indonesians call panas dalam
(internal body heat)”.
Refreshing Solution was originally launched in the mid-1980s but had little
impact until 1994, when its makers launched an intensive two-year television
campaign. According to Indonesian business magazine, SMA, when the
campaign finished, the profits from sales of Refreshing Solution were running
into US$45 million dollars.
Why has such a product acquired so many avid fans? The Asian Wall Street
Journal points out that Refreshing Solution’s “lack of flavour is not to
everyone’s taste”, but goes on to say: “The manufacturer made a shrewd move to
appeal to many different groups of Indonesians by putting the word jamu on the
label. The SMA article picked up on this point by congratulating Mr Budi
Yuwono of Sinde Budi Sentosa who make the drink for being ‘brave’ to label his
drink a traditional medicine. This is exactly what other makers avoid, preferring
