LONG PEPPER

Latin name: Piper retrofractum

Other name(s): Long pepper, bi ba (C),

Indonesian name: Cabai Jawa

This herb is native to Indonesia, and is cultivated in backyards or un-irrigated fields, or grows wild on dry and sandy grounds like coastal areas and woods up to a height of 600 meters above sea level. This annual herb has a ligneous tiny stem that grows climbing, coiling around or creeping on the ground with its sticky roots, and can reach a length of 10 meters.

Branches rise from the ligneous base of the stem. It has a single stalk leaf, oval or egg-shaped, 8.5 – 30 centimeters in length and 3 – 13 centimeter wide, with smooth edges and is round on the base with a sharp tip. The upper side of the green colored leaf is smooth, while the underside is doted.

The mono-cotyle round flowers are structured like grains that grow erect, where the male grain structure is longer than the female. The long stalked fruit is cylindrical with a narrow tip, and has an uneven surface with regular bulging. The ripe fruit is 2 – 7 centimeters long with a diameter of 4 – 8 millimeters.

The young fruits are green in color, hard and spicy and grow to be ivory yellow, before finally become red, soft and sweet. The seeds are round and flat, hard and dark brown in color. Cultivation is done by seed planting and stem cutting.    

MEDICINAL PART: half ripe fruits, dried leaves and roots. The fruits are hot and spicy that enters the spleen and stomach meridians. The roots are spicy and warm in taste.

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS: Fruits: warming, analgesic, increase perspiration, carminative, stimulant and aphrodisiac. Roots: tonic; diuretic; stomachic; emenagogue.

INDICATION: Fruits: abdominal cramps, vomiting, gas in stomach, stomachache; dysentery, diarrhea; constipation accompanying hepatitis; headache, toothache; cough, fever; runny nose; impotence; labor difficulties; neurasthenia; low blood pressure. Roots: gas in stomach; indigestion; infertility; post natal care; malaise; stroke; rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lumbago. Leaves: abdominal cramps, toothache.

DOSAGE AND USAGE:

General: For internal 2.5 – 5 grams of fruit or roots to be made pills or decoction. For external usage, particularly toothache, you may fine grind the dried fruit and directly apply the powder into the dental caries. You may as well mix the powder in a glass of pure water and use it as mouth wash. 

Specific usage:

Neurastenia

Ingredients:

Cabai Jawa (Piper retrofractum, Long pepper) – 6 fruits

Alang-alang (Imperata cylindrical, Coarse grass) – 3 stalks

Daun sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata folia, green chiretta) – 1 handful of fresh leaves

Gula enau (Palm sugar) – 3 finger-size cuts

Wash the ingredients and cut to small pieces. Boil in 4 glasses of pure water until left to 2¼ glasses. Strain after cooling. Dosage: ¾ glass 3 times a day until condition gets better.

Catch a cold

Cabai Jawa (Piper retrofractum, Long pepper) – 3 fruits

Daun poko (Mentha arvensis) – ¾ handful of fresh leaves

Daun kesumba keling (Bixa orellana - leaves) – ¾ handful of fresh leaves

Gula enau (Palm sugar) – 3 finger-size cuts

Wash the ingredients and cut to small pieces. Boil in 4 glasses of pure water until left to 2¼ glasses. Strain after cooling. Dosage: ¾ glass 3 times a day until condition gets better.

Post natal care tonic

Akar cabai Jawa (Piper retrofractum radix, Long pepper roots) – 3 grams

Fine grind the roots and steep it with 1 cup of boiled water. Drink this while warm once, every day for one week.

Indigestion, cough, epilepsy, post natal fever, and to strengthen stomach, heart and lungs

Fine grind the 5 grams of the dried cabai Jawa and steep it with 1 cup of boiled water. Add adequate amount of honey, and stir well. Drink this while warm at once, every day.

Toothache

(1)  Clean wash and grind 3 cabai Jawa leaves. Steep with ½ glass of boiled water and strain. Use the liquid for mouth wash

(2)  Clean wash a string of the root and chew it for a while, before spitting it out.

Abdominal cramps

Clean wash and grind 5 cabai Jawa leaves. Steep it with 1 glass of boiled water. Strain and drink this while warm.

Constipation in hepatitis

Ingredients:

Cabai Jawa fruits – 3 fruits

Lempuyang wangi (Zingiber aromaticum - rhizome) -1 thumb-size cut of the rhizome

Grind the fruit and the rhizome. Add 1 tablespoon of boiled water and stir well. Squeeze the mixture and tap the sap. Drink the sap at once.

Fever

Fine grind 3 grams of the dried fruits and steep with ½ glass of boiled water and stir well. Drink it without straining.

CONTRA-INDICATIONS: Pregnant woman and patients with heart burning sensation should not take any jamu recipe containing cabai Jawa.

IMPORTANT NOTE

The recipes and techniques mentioned in this page are not meant to replace diagnosis and treatment of a medical practioner. Before using any of these recipes, the author recommends to consult a physician. All the recipes has been used without any side effects and are considered safe. However, since some people have more sensitive skin or digestive system than others, and since the user’s actual recipe preparation is beyond the control of the author, the author accept no liability with regard to the use of recipes or techniques contained in this page

BILLY GOAT WEED

Latin name: Ageratum conyzoides

Other name(s): shen hong ji; billy goat weed, white weed, bastard agrimony; A. ciliare, A. cordifolium 
Indonesian name: Bandotan, daun tombak, tempuyak

This herb is originated from the tropical America region. In Indonesia bandotan is a wild herb and well known as a gulma in garden and fields. In fact it can grow anywhere; home yards, roadsides, dikes, and the side of gutters at a height of 1,000 – 1,200 meters above sea level. The rotten leaves produce an unpleasant smell.

Bandotan is included in terna seasonal herb which grows erect with the lower part on a lying position and is about 30 – 90 centimeters high with branches. The stalk has long hairy filaments which become roots when it touches the soil. The leaf is oval in shape, 1 – 10 centimeters long and 0.5 - 1 centimeter wide, round at the base and a sharp tip, with serrated edges. Both surfaces of the leaf have long hairy filaments, with a green colored gland on the lower side of the leaf. It has 3 or more white flowers, 6 - 8 millimeters in diameter at the tip of a hairy stalk. Bandotan has small, black colored fruits.   

MEDICINAL PART: Whole plant

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS: Stimulant; tonic; antipyretic; antitoxic; reduce swelling; hemostatic; emenagogue; diuretic; carminative; phyto-insectiside

INDICATION: Fever; malaria; laryngitis; pneumonia; middle ear infection; hemorrhage like uterus bleeding, wound bleeding and nose bleeding; diarrhea, dysentery; colic; vomiting; excess gas in stomach; sprained ankle; rheumatism; birth control; exhaustion; oliguria; uterine tumors; hair care

DOSAGE AND USAGE: General: Decoction; boil 15 – 30 grams of dry herbs or 30 – 60 grams of the fresh one, and drink after cooling. Another way is to pound the fresh herb, and then squeeze out the juice and drink. For external use; pound fresh herbs until you get a fine , add a little coconut oil, and mix evenly. Apply to fresh wounds, e.g. boils, eczema or other skin infections like leprosy. You may as well grind the dry herb to fine powder, and blow the fine powder directly into the affected throat in laryngitis or sore throat. Fresh leaves can be steeped in boiled water, and use the water as eyewash or wound washing.

For specific indication as mentioned above the usage and dosage of Bandotan is as follows:

Middle ear infection

Wash adequate amount of the fresh herbs, grind until a fine substance, squeeze the ground herb and collect the juice, strain and use it as ear drops, 4 times 2 drops daily.

Bleeding wounds, boils and eczema

Wash adequate amount of fresh herbs, then pound until you get a fine mushy mixture. Apply the remedy directly to the wound, and wrap with a clean bandage. Change and replace the bandage 4 times daily until the condition gets better.

Boils and sores

Wash a whole plant of this herb, and add a fistful of spoiled rice and a tip of salt. Grind these ingredients until you get a fine mushy mixture. Apply directly to affected skin, and put on a bandage.

Rheumatism, sprain swelling

Pound a handful of fresh washed leaves and stalks of this herb, a fistful of spoiled rice and ½ teaspoon of salt all together until you get a mushy mixture. Apply this remedy to the affected swollen joint or area, and then put on a bandage. Let it stay for 1 – 2 hours, and then release the bandage. Do this 2 – 3 times daily.

Uterine bleeding, sprue, boils, bruised swelling

Boil 10 – 15 grams of Bandotan in 2 glasses of water until left to 1 glass. Strain after cooling, and drink the whole 1 glass. Do this 2 – 3 times a day.

Uterine tumors

Boil 30 – 60 grams of fresh herbs or 15 – 30 grams of dry herbs into 3 glasses of pure water until left to 1 glass. Drink 1 glass daily. You may as well pound the fresh herb, and squeeze out the juice, and drink it, once a day.

Laryngitis

(1)  Wash 30 – 60 grams of fresh herbs, and pound to a fine mixture, squeeze and strain. Add adequate amount of dissolved rock sugar and stir well. Drink this remedy 3 times daily.

(2)  Wash adequate amount of Bandotan leaves, and dry in the sun. Grind the dried leaves into a fine powder. Blow the powder directly into the affected throat.

Malaria, influenza

Boil 15 – 30 grams of this dry herb in 2 glasses of water until left to 1 glass. Strain after cooling, and drink the whole 1 glass. Do this 2 times daily.

Bloated stomach, nausea, vomiting

Wash a piece of medium size Bandotan fruit, cut to a few slices. Boil in 3 glasses of pure water until left to 1 glass. Strain after cooling and drink the whole 1 glass, 2 -3 times a day until the condition gets better.

Hair care

Wash fresh leaves and stalk of this herb, pound until you get an even mixture. Rub the mixture on the scalp and hair, spread evenly, and then wrap the head with a piece of cloth or towel. Let it stay for 2 – 3 hours, and then wash off with warm water and shampoo. Do this twice a week

REMARKS: Pregnant women are prohibited to take this remedy since it may cause miscarriage

IMPORTANT NOTE

The recipes and techniques mentioned in this page are not meant to replace diagnosis and treatment of a medical practioner. Before using any of these recipes, the author recommends to consult a physician. All the recipes has been used without any side effects and are considered safe. However, since some people have more sensitive skin or digestive system than others, and since the user’s actual recipe preparation is beyond the control of the author, the author accept no liability with regard to the use of recipes or techniques contained in this page

THE GINGER FAMILY

The Core Ingredients of Jamu – The Ginger Family

Here are some members of the Ginger family, which are the core ingredients in jamu making:

Kunyit (Curcuma domestica, turmeric, kunir)

In cooking, turmeric add flavor and taste. In terms of healing ability, turmeric has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. It also contains curcumin, an active chemical substance, which possesses an anti-inflammatory effect and is useful in the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatism. It is also proven by scientists that curcumin has anti-mutagenic properties and can help protect living cells from carcinogenic substances, and also function as anti-oxidant. 

Turmeric increases the flow of bile that causes the contraction of the gall-bladder, hence preventing the formation of gallstones. The swift flow of bile improves the digestion of fat in the intestine, thus turmeric helps in reducing cholesterol and blood cleansing. That is the reason why turmeric is often used in slimming jamu formulas and in slimming pills in the West.

Turmeric is found in every jamu, since it is trusted for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic, and cleanses the blood and improves circulation. Its also used to reduce bleeding, wound healing, itching, ulcers and abscesses. Burnt and inhaled, turmeric is proven effective in relieving a stuffy nose. It also plays a role in the treatment of asthma, angina, high blood pressure and fever.

Lengkuas  (Languas galangal, greater galangal, laos)

Lengkuas is used in the Indonesian cuisine as culinary flavoring and is commonly used in dishes like beef rendang and fish curry as well as chicken dishes. The galangal rhizome has a fresh smell and tastes of ginger and pepper, with a hint of sour lemon. There are 12 kinds of Lengkuas that are widely used in the Indonesian jamu healing, but the most popular variety is Languas galangal which is used in jamu for stomach aches, diarrhea and flatulence. 

Its active component, cineol, is a proven antiseptic. Many jamu are galangal based jamu, and works best with other ingredients to obtain an effective result. Galangal is often combined with garlic, mengkudu (Indian mulberry), pepper and tamarind. Every combination is selected based on the therapeutic effect of each end every ingredient to cure a certain ailment.

Kencur (Kaempferia galangal, resurrection lily)

Kencur is one important ingredient in the Indonesian daily cuisine. It has a sharp, slightly camphor-like taste in soups, sauces, curries and stews. It’s rhizome is always used in warming jamus’ and is recommended for about 20 illness. Due to its warming effect, it causes perspiration, hence effective if used for poultice and compress paste in treating fever, muscular rheumatism, abdominal pain, stomach ache and swelling. 

In the Javanese households, the primary remedy for coughs and colds is a drink of squeezed kencur juice. Another very well known jamu formula is Beras Kencur – a mixture of kencur, rice, sugar, salt and tamarind - which is the antidote for rheumatism, muscle strain and joint pain. Kencur is also an appetite stimulant, thus not recommended for people on diet. Kencur is also an ingredient in health and beauty jamu preparation formulated to resolve hormonal problems.

Lempuyang (Lempuyang pahit; Zingiber amaricans, bitter ginger and lempuyang wangi; Zingiber aromaticum, fragrance ginger)

The main function of Lempuyang is to warm the body and increase muscle flexibility. In terms of flavor, lempuyang has a strong and extremely biting and bitter taste hence it is a popular appetizer seasoning that activates the taste buds. For this reason, lempuyang is often prescribed as an appetite stimulant during convalescence after illness. 

Draughts are prescribed for stomachache accompanied by cramps in the legs. It could also be applied externally to treat fever and numbness in the feet. The rhizome’s irritants apparently over-stimulates blood vessel and nerves under the skin which draw blood to a certain part of the body. The skin may become red due to the increased blood flow and cleansing of toxin from tissues.

Temulawak (Curcuma xanthorrhiza)

Like turmeric and galangal, its main function is to stimulate digestion and release bile from the gallbladder. It has been used to cure a broad range of ailments from diarrhea and constipation, fever, muscle spasm, skin complaints, stimulates lactation during breast feeding and improves blood circulation. A mixture of Temulawak with desiccated sap from the stem of mata pelanduk (Ardisia elliptica, mousedeer’s eye) is a cure for itchy skin. 

A combination of turmeric and temulawak can relieve the symptoms of rheumatism. A common used ladies care preparation is a combination of temulawak with sidowayah(Woodfordia fructicosa, grandchild’s arrival), kunci pepet (Kaempferia rotunda, white turmeric) and cabe jawa (Piper retrofractum, Javanese long pepper) is used to improve blood circulation and to restore muscle tone in busy women. The rhizome plays a part in cosmetics, where full use is made of its medicinal properties in face and body care preparations of body slimming.

Jahe (Zingiber officinale, common ginger)

Common ginger is the best known member of the Zingiberaceae family and has been used by herbalist to warm the body since ancient times. It is used for food flavoring and to improve appetite and digestion as well as to help relieve rheumatic pains. Ginger tea is very well known to be the cure for nausea. Jahe juice is believed to work effectively for colic, coughs and catarrh. 

Ground ginger is good for itching, grazes and deep wounds, and one of the main function of ginger in Indonesia is to warm the body. The red ginger, a smaller variety of ginger, is an important antidote for snakebites when combined with salt.

JAMU'S P0WERFUL HEALING HERBS

Powerful Healing Herbs in Jamu

Healing herbs in jamu are originated from about thousand of species commonly used in jamu preparation. In fact, the Indonesian archipelago is one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world, where of out 40,000 tropical plants, around 30,000 species grows in Indonesia. Although nearly 7,000 cultivated species has been identified, only 286 plant species has been registered in the Materia Medika Indonesia of the Department of Health of The Republic of Indonesia.

Looking at the jamu industry of Indonesia at present time, only about 200 essential ingredients are kept in stock by the big industries to work on, while the home industries use only up to 100 herbal remedies on a day by day basis. Another group of jamu makers are the villagers who use 700 to 800 herbal remedies for a limitless range of jamu formulas that have never been officially recorded.

The Ginger Family – The superstars of jamu ingredients

In spite of the huge number of healing plants or herbal remedies in Indonesia, only a few species are the core of jamu ingredients and are undisputedly the superstars of jamu, which all of them belongs to the ginger or Zingiberaceae family. The Ginger family explained >>

Spices in Jamu

Aside from their culinary functions, spices are used in jamu to add taste and to give a warming and pleasant effect. It is common to add spices like; cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, fennel, black and white pepper, cardamom, coriander and cumin. Spices in jamu explained >>

The necessary poisons in jamu.

There are plants which are toxic in nature, but at the same time possess a valuable healing effect. It is the matter on how to determine the right size of dosage and the knowledge to use a neutralizing plant to counter the toxic effect. Some curative but 'poisonous' herbal remedies further explained >>

The needed but scarce ingredients.

Due to the irresponsible act of over-exploitation the green environment and natural resources by some people, many valuable plants have become extinct. Scarcity has become a problem and endangering the future of jamu inheritance. Scarce ingredients explained >>

• The Ginger Family
• Spices in Jamu
• The necessary poisons in jamu
• The needed but scarce ingredients.

JAMU HEALING PRINCIPLES

The Principles of Jamu Healing

Indonesians who believe in God and His powers truly understand the tradition of jamu in people’s life. It is believed that God created human beings and all the necessary things for them to continue and prolong life. This includes the nature that provides herbs and other plants to maintain health and cure illness, beside the human sense, instinct and intelligence to make use of this wonderful gift of God. 

It is also strongly believed that in this every life everything is created in pairs; there are man and woman, night and day, darkness and light, sorrow and happiness, poison and antidote as well as sickness and cure. In fact, God sent down a treatment for every disease, as stated by The Holy Qur’an. Any incurable disease at this time lays on the incapability of the human being to use its intelligence to find the proper remedy in nature.

The Principles of Harmony

Jamu healing is the concept of harmony, which is the balance between the patient and his or her environment, the balance between positive and negative power, hot and cold elements in the body. Hence, illness and medicines are divided in hot and cold categories. Hot illnesses are cured with cold herbal remedies and vice versa, cold diseases are cured with the hot herbal remedies. 

Jamu recipes follow this rule of harmony, and are prepared as cold or hot jamu’s, bitter and sweet, sour and tasteless or strong and weak. In developing a recipe, the treatment of a disease in one organ always considers the effect of treatment to other organs in the body. This is known as the holistic approach, not partial, where a treatment of a specific organ or system should not impair other organs or the body as a whole which may worsen the condition.

The Principles of Jamu combining

The ingredients of jamu, meaning the leaves, flowers, barks, roots, seeds or even the whole plant, are grouped into three categories; the main ingredients, the supporting and those that simply improve the taste and smell. The combination of these three categories should interact and work together on the addressed symptom or illness. A jamu recipe is meant to exert four of the following basic functions:

• To treat a particular disease or problem, like asthma, high blood pressure, cancer and so on.
  
  
• To maintain good health through the endorsement of blood circulation and metabolism.
  
  
• To relieve pain and aches by reducing inflammation and helping digestive problems.
  
  
• To restore malfunction in the body, like infertility, insufficient lactation, impotence, unpleasant body odor etc.

A jamu recipe may be multifunctional, or a combination of 2 or more of the above functions. For example, a general tonic jamu may also be an appetite stimulant to increase body weight.

Jamu is never an overnight remedy. In fact it should be taken on a regular basis over a period of time. Due to this gradual cure a patient seldom develop any side effects. It is understood that this gradual cure of jamu follows the law of nature where everything goes accordingly to a process of time in order to keep its harmony.

Some ingredients, in spite of their useful therapeutic effects, have toxic properties that should be taken into account in prescribing a recipe. It lies on the sound knowledge of the herbalist or jamu maker to neutralize these poisonous ingredients with other herbs to produce a powerful and effective jamu.

Plant characteristics

An interesting principle is that a cure for a specific disease and its corresponding plant or herbal remedy is following the popular doctrine of signature or similarity. Meaning to say that the shape, color or texture of a plant or a part of it indicates what illness it can cure. For example, hair-like plants are suppose to cure hair problems, flowers with eyes cures vision problems, heart-shaped leaves is the cure for heart diseases, and many more to mention.

Article by: Uno Birawan
Community Health Observer
http://unobiirawan.blogspot.com

Articles about Jamu:

• The History of Jamu
• The Healing Principles of Jamu
•  The Powerful Ingredients 
• The Popular Jamu Recipes

JAMU FOR HEMORRHOIDS

Jamu Recipes For Hemorrhoids

PATHO-PHYSIOLOGY: Hemorrhoids are varicose of the rectum veins located in the lowest portion of the rectum and anus. These veins swell sometimes and become stretches, thin and irritated by the passing bowel movement. The swollen veins that bleed, itch, or hurt is known as hemorrhoids or piles.

INDICATIONS: Symptoms of hemorrhoids: bright red anal bleeding that may mark the bowel movement or toilet tissue; tenderness or pain during bowel movement; painful swelling or a bulge near the anus; anal itching; a mucous anal discharge

Recipe # 1

INGREDIENTS:

Round turmeric (Curcuma xanthorrhiza, rimpang temulawak) - 1 finger-size cut

Incense (gum benzoin, klembak kemenyan) – ¾ thumb size cut

Indian pennywort (Centella asiatica, daun kaki kuda) – ¼ handful

Abrus precatorius – leaves (daun saga manis) – ¼ handful

(Euphorbia prostrata, daun patikan cina) – 1/5 handful

Palm sugar (Arenga pinnata, gula enau) - 3 finger size cuts

PREPARATION AND DOSAGE:

Decoction: Clean wash all ingredients and cut to small pieces. Boil the ingredients in 5 glasses of pure water and let it boil until left to 2 glasses. Strain after cooling. Drink the decoction ¾ glass 3 times a day.

Recipe # 2

INGREDIENT:

Aloes (Aloe vera, lidah buaya) – ½ medium size leave

Honey (madu) – 1 tablespoon

PREPARATION AND DOSAGE:

Decoction: Cut away the thorns of the leaf, and clean wash and scrap. Mix it with a ½ cup of warm water and add the honey. Squeeze and strain the mixture. Drink the whole dose 3 times a day.

Recipe # 3

INGREDIENTS:

Papaya fruit (Carica papaya, buah pepaya) – ½ papaya fruit 

Papaya leaves (Carica papaya, daun pepaya) – 2 leaves

Cashew leaves (Anacardium occidentale, daun jambu mede) – adequate amount

PREPARATION AND DOSAGE:

Boil the papaya fruit and leaves until it become tender, and eat it every day without any chili sauce. To remove the bitter taste, you can mix it with the cashew leaves (also boiled)

REMARKS: Anal bleeding may also be a sign of more dangerous conditions like colon polyps, Crohn’s disease or colorectal cancer, hence accurate diagnosis of anal bleeding is essential. Although rare, chronic anal bleeding due to hemorrhoids may lead to anemia.

IMPORTANT NOTE

The recipes and techniques mentioned in this page are not meant to replace diagnosis and treatment of a medical practioner. Before using any of these recipes, the author recommends to consult a physician. All the recipes has been used without any side effects and are considered safe. However, since some people have more sensitive skin or digestive system than others, and since the user’s actual recipe preparation is beyond the control of the author, the author accept no liability with regard to the use of recipes or techniques contained in this page

JAMU FOR SINUSITIS

Jamu Recipe for Sinusitis

PATHO-PHYSIOLOGY: Sinusitis is an infection of the sinuses, the air filled bones of the face. The function of the sinuses remains unclear, but some scientists believe that it mainly produces mucus for the nose and throat. The others believe that this hollow bone chambers is to help warm the air we breath as well as to lighten the weight of the skull. There are four pairs of sinuses in each human face and are connected to the nasal cavity. Hence, infection of the nose and throat may spread and causes sinusitis. The openings of the sinuses into the nasal cavity are called ostia. While the frontal, sphenoidal and ethmoidal sinuses have their ostia on the bottom of the sinus, the maxillary sinuses have it on the top. Given the human walking erect, it is most likely that sinusitis may affect the maxillary sinuses.

INDICATIONS: Symptoms of sinusitis: feeling of fullness in the face; pressure behind the eyes; nasal congestion; difficulty in breathing through the nose; postnasal drip; bad smell in the nose; possibly fever; possibly toothache

INGREDIENTS:

Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus, batang sereh) – 5 stalks

Acid limes (Citrus aurantifolia, jeruk nipis) – 3 ripe fruits

Betel leaves (Piper betle, daun sirih) – 7 leaves

Cloves (Syzygum aromatica, biji cengkeh) – 17 pieces

Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale, jahe) – 2 finger-size cuts

PREPARATION AND DOSAGE:

Decoction: Peel the lemon grass and ginger then bruise them. Also peel the acid lime and cut each into four. Put all the ingredients in 6 glasses of pure water and boil until left to 3 glasses. Drink the decoction after meal with the recommended dose: ½ glass 3 times a day

REMARKS: The patient should avoid ice drinks and food that possibly may cause allergy like crabs, shrimps or tuna fish. Untreated sinusitis may develop to orbital cellulites, an inflammation around the eyeballs which can cause damage to the eyeball and facial nerve. If sinusitis recurs more than three times in a year, and periods between relapses grow shorter you should be aware of a chronic condition that could become serious.

IMPORTANT NOTE

The recipes and techniques mentioned in this page are not meant to replace diagnosis and treatment of a medical practioner. Before using any of these recipes, the author recommends to consult a physician. All the recipes has been used without any side effects and are considered safe. However, since some people have more sensitive skin or digestive system than others, and since the user’s actual recipe preparation is beyond the control of the author, the author accept no liability with regard to the use of recipes or techniques contained in this page

JAMU HISTORY

Jamu History, The Written Records

Aside from the evidence in the form of artifacts kept in The Jakarta’s National Museum, written evidence from the past time confirms the use of herbs and plants as herbal remedies by the Indonesians.

Borobudur temple

The famous Borobudur temple was build by the Syailendra Kingdom from 800 – 900 AD located in Central Java near Yogyakarta. Some relief of this temple shows the Kalpataru tree – a mythological tree that never dies – where its leaves and other ingredients are being ground to make herbal remedies for women’s health and beauty care.

The Serat Kawruh bab Jampi Jampi

This is one of the two manuscripts kept in Kraton Surakarta. Serat Kawruh bab Jampi Jampi or The Treatise on All Manner of Cures is perhaps the most systematic information about jamu. It includes 1,734 jamu recipes prepared from natural herbal remedies with their suggestion on usage and dosage. It also comprises 244 records about prayers and symbolic characters apparently used as powerful charms or jimat (talisman) to cure specific diseases that are caused by supra-natural powers, or to protect the patient from any black magic.

The Serat Centhini

Serat Centhini or The Book of Centhini is the other manuscript in The Kraton Surakarta’s library. This book is produced by one of a son of Kanjeng Sinuhun Sunan Pakubuwono IV which was at that time ruling the Central Javanese kingdom in Surakarta from 1788 to 1820. 

The Sunan’s son assigned three men to collect all information on the spiritual, material, scientific and religious knowledge of Javanese culture. The result was a report of 12 volumes that includes 725 stanzas. Although the content of this book are not all related to health and curing diseases, it seems that much of this Serat Centhini is concerned with sexual problems and includes many advices on various ailments and their remedies.

However, Serat Centhini is the best description about medical treatment in ancient Java, where in every instance the remedies are taken from nature and many are easy to administer.

Other manuscripts in The Kraton Surakarta Library

There are many other manuscripts or primbon which are compiled into more than 2,100 volumes - where as some are dated back as far as year 1720 – kept in the Kraton’s library. It describes many subjects and written on 700,000 pieces of paper. Aside from the four sections dedicated to pharmacy, prescriptions and recipes, the primbons also include other historical documents related to politics, court diaries, prophecies, poetry, moral tracts, erotic lore, Islamic theology and law, Sufi lyrics, scripts for ‘wayang kulit’ (shadow puppet show) plays, court customs and manuals of magical and divinatory practices.

Usada, The Book of Healing

This a compilation of texts dealing with healing practices. Although the date of the written material remains unclear, but the content is still of great value to the knowledge of healing practices using natural herbal remedies. In many instances, Usada is taken as reference for traditional treatments in the Javanese society.

Bali Lontar Manuscripts

As the knowledge of healing using natural herbs and plants spread over the Indonesian archipelago, many kingdoms or societies kept this valuable knowledge in the form of manuscript for their possession. Since Bali lies close to Java, healing practices were easily copied by the Balinese and recorded them on lontars. Lontars are dried palm leaves and were meant as a writing medium which is typically the Bali tradition. Many lontars manuscripts show the similarity between the Javanese and Balinese healing practices.

The Indonesian Plants and their Healing Power by Mrs. Jan Kloppenburg – Versteegh

Mrs. Kloppenburg, a Dutch lady, born in a large coffee plantation located in Weleri, Central Java is the writer of De Indische Planten en haar Geneeskracht or The Indonesian Plants and their Healing Power. Born in 1862 and raised in Indonesia, she had the opportunity to become familiar with local plants and studied their healing power. She was inspired by her mother, Albertina, who took care of the villagers’ health around the plantation. Albertina often gave advice to these villagers on how to heal a disease and what herbs or plants are the best remedies to use.

The young Kloppenburg often accompanied her mother on a walk to these people and recorded all the information she found necessary. After her mother died and married, she continued her interest in herbs and plants. Her work, compiled in the above book title, was published in early 1900. Her book is now used as a valuable reference for the development of herbs and other healing plants in this modern era.