Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing. Susan-Jane Beers

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      In the pages of this book you will learn about the closed world of the ancient Javanese kraton (palace) where Indonesian jamu was perfected. You can meet the healers and jamu makers whose skills have been passed from generation to generation and learn about their cures. But if you are looking for a precise, scientific account of inner and outer beauty, you will not find it here, as no such thing exists, for reasons that will become clear. Advice is offered on where to find these age-old remedies, and the Appendix provides formulæ that can be safely made at home. The information here is for people who wish to find out more about Indonesian health and beauty, draw their own conclusions and even try jamu for themselves.

      My personal experiences whilst living and researching herbal medicine in Indonesia changed my attitude from one of scepticism to the belief that, if correctly chosen and sensibly used, jamu is effective. This shift in attitude was the result of a chain reaction. Walking round Indonesia’s towns and cities means braving heat, humidity, reckless drivers, exhaust fumes and persistent street sellers. These factors, coupled with the virtual lack of pavements, actively discourage any form of normal exercise. As a result of my inactivity, the weighing scales and waistline soon indicated drastic action was required. I opted for aerobics in an air-conditioned gym. However, at the age of 42, my body could not cope with the new regime. Initial stiffness gave way to crippling pain in the knee joints. I then faced three options: stop taking painkillers and exercise with pain; keep on loading my system with drugs; or give up aerobics and become fat. The painkillers won and I kept on exercising.

      Then, one day, a visit to the hairdresser changed everything. As my hair was being styled, I noticed a herbal medicine clinic in a corner of the salon. After explaining my problem to the salesgirl, she referred me to the clinic doctor. As it turned out, the doctor was a professor of pharmacy as well as an expert on Indonesian traditional herbal medicine. My amazement was compounded when the clinic phoned just two days later to say the medicine was ready. I received two small bottles of tiny pills, and was warned not to expect instant results as the medication worked on the principle of ‘slow but sure’.

      Having dutifully swallowed ten tiny pills for two mornings in succession, I carried on with my daily exercise class, and, astonishingly, by the third day I was out of pain. I simply could not believe it and dismissed this apparent miracle as sheer fluke. It was all the more remarkable as I had decided to err on the side of caution and had only taken one-third of the recommended daily dose. Sceptically, I continued with the same self-prescribed dose and waited for the pain to return. It didn’t. Six months later, I was still pain free.

      Impressed and by now intrigued, I was keen to learn more about jamu and tried to buy a book on the subject. I could not find one in English, however, and those written in Indonesian seemed to contain only recipes. Wanting to find out more, I took a trip to Central Java where I met jamu maker, Ibu Sri. During my visit she led me into her dark kitchen where she did most of her work. She explained her methods, then said: “You must try my jamu.”