Jamu — Indonesia’s Herbal Heritage

Ask any one of Indonesia’s 200 million inhabitants what they would do if they found themselves
suffering from fatigue or common cough. The answer will invariably be, “Take some Jamu!”

For the uninitiated, Jamu is Indonesia’s unique medicinal culture. Like many of East Asia’s traditional
medicinal traditions, Indonesian Jamu is based on the mixture and manipulation of various herbs to
bring about balance and healing in the human body.

Many proponents of natural healing hold steadfast to the belief that Mother Earth contains all the
necessary ingredients to cure any disease that can beset the human body. With precise knowledge of
herbology, there is practically no need for Western pharmaceutical medicine. Jamu best exemplifies this
statement, as there exists a Jamu herbal remedy for just about any illness and ailment you can think of.

Brief History of Jamu

The exact origin of Jamu is shrouded in mystery. Local evidence seems to point to the fact that Jamu
was in existence during the time of the Mataram Kingdom (not to be confused with the later Mataram
Sultanate) some 1300 years ago. Legends tell of how palace ladies would painstakingly prepare herbal
formulas and consume them regularly, so as to remain ever-youthful and alluring to their husbands and
lovers. Herbal cosmetics too were being used by these palace ladies to augment their beauty. These
practices no doubt subscribed to the traditional Javanese ideal of "Ngadi Sarira" which dictates that:
‘it is of paramount importance for all women to maintain their bodies in and keep it in perfect
condition.’

There are numerous other examples of Jamu recorded in Indonesia’s history. A stone inscription dated
to the reign of Prasasti Madhawapura in the Majapahit era (1292-1478AD) makes special mention of a
gifted Jamu herbal medicine healer named Acaraki who created numerous miracle herbal remedies.
Stone reliefs in the temples of Borobudur, Central Java, dated to the 9th century, also depict scenes of
Jamu preparation.

Despite all this, detailed knowledge of Jamu was largely confined

within the walls of the Kratons (royal palaces) of Java. It was
accessible only to the aristocracy and a select few. It was only in
1910, when Tan Swan Nio and Siem Tjiang Nio started a company in
Surabaya to manufacture Jamu products commercially, that Jamu
finally became accessible to the masses. Today, their company
PT Jamu Iboe Jaya is one of the biggest manufacturers of Jamu in
Indonesia.

In 1940, the first seminar dedicated to the subject of Jamu was held in Solo, Central Java. This was
followed in 1944 by the formation of Indonesia's first Jamu Committee. Since then, many symposiums
and books have been written on this extensive subject.