'Jamu' carries the stigma of being unscientific<\/p>\n
By Gedsiri Suhartono<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Alternative medicine has been around for ages,
\nand long after the introduction of western medicine and
\nprofessionally trained doctors, it remains popular.<\/p>\n
In the international medicine market, traditional medicine
\nexperts say that Indonesian traditional medicine has less than 1
\npercent of the world's traditional medicine market.<\/p>\n
Suwijiyo Pramono, who teaches at the School of Pharmacy at
\nGajah Mada University in Yogyakarta, said that the popularity of
\ntraditional medicine is on the up.<\/p>\n
Data released by the Directorate General for Food and Drug
\nSupervision, says that in 1990, jamu production amounted only to
\n4.013 tons, worth US$37 million. Four years later the industry
\nproduced 7.913 tons of jamu, worth about $119.2 million.<\/p>\n
In 1978, the directorate general investigated jamu products
\nand what they claimed to cure; they are used as medication,
\nstimulants, health tonics, cosmetics, menstrual aids and
\naphrodisiacs.<\/p>\n
Only rarely do jamu concoctions claim to cure real diseases,
\nalthough some do claim to cure high blood pressure, diabetes and
\nhepatitis.<\/p>\n
Although almost half of all jamu is marketed as medicine, most
\nconsumers use the herbal medicine as a preventative measure, to
\npreserve their health.<\/p>\n
Compared to other countries such as China, Japan and Korea,
\njamu has not earned the recognition, let alone privilege, enjoyed
\nby its counterparts.<\/p>\n
Jaya Suprana, director of a leading jamu factory in Semarang,
\nCentral Java, by the name of Jamu Jago, said that the lack of
\nrecognition is largely due to jamu's suggestive nature.<\/p>\n
Even worse, he added, traditional medicine is often accused of
\nbeing unscientific and containing hazardous elements.<\/p>\n
\"But even the World Health Organization has said the chances
\nof modern medicine to cure diseases is only 60 percent,\" Jaya
\nargued.<\/p>\n
Traditional medicine is considered dubious since its power is
\nambiguous. Also, the lack of ingredients and standards hampers
\njamu's credibility in the eyes of health practitioners as well as
\nconsumers.<\/p>\n
To this, Jaya retorted that consumers are more concerned with
\nthe cure itself than in its scientific explanation.<\/p>\n
The government has recently begun to encourage research and
\ndevelopment in the field of traditional medicine and alternative
\nhealing.<\/p>\n
Upon returning from a work visit to China, Minister of Health
\nSujudi said that in China, modern and traditional medicine
\ncoexist side by side, allowing patients a choice.<\/p>\n
\"The treasure of cultural heritage has gained prominence at
\nhome as well as overseas. The existence of an educational
\ninstitution which trains specialized practitioners of traditional
\nmedicine can be cited as evidence of this prominence,\" Sujudi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Last year, the minister opened a unit for traditional medicine
\nat Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Jakarta. The Center for
\nDevelopment and Application of Traditional Medicine is the third
\nfacility here to incorporate both modern and traditional medicine
\nunder one roof, following its predecessor in Surabaya and
\nYogyakarta. The government plans to open 12 other facilities
\nbefore the end of the century.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Health last year also drafted a policy to
\ncontrol the flow of traditional medicine, which was circulating
\nwithout any government control.<\/p>\n
Natural wealth<\/p>\n
Minister for Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja often complains
\nof Indonesian ignorance when it comes to the bounty of nature.<\/p>\n
\"What a waste. We do not know enough about our own affluence
\nto take advantage of our natural resources in the field of
\nmedicine,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Traditional medicine usually contains medicinal plants such as
\nginger, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, papaya leaf, fennel,
\naniseed, tamarind as well as many other roots, seeds, tubers and
\nleaves.<\/p>\n
Pharmacologist Sardjono Oerip Santoso from the University of
\nIndonesia said that only 940 of the recognized 7,000 cultivated
\nplants in the country are used in jamu.<\/p>\n
Last June, Sardjono started testing traditional herbs on
\nanimals in the hope of finding a cure for cancer.<\/p>\n
Subagus Wahyuono of the traditional medicine research center
\nat Gadjah Mada University said that medicine plants have long
\nbeen used in developing countries.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, using plants to cure various ailments is more common
\nin those countries than modern medicine,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Consumers<\/p>\n
Nowadays, jamu is concocted, presented and packed in various
\nways to accommodate consumers' needs.<\/p>\n
Contemporary versions of jamu come in the form of powdered
\ntonics, pills, or capsules.<\/p>\n
In Java, the original version, locally dubbed jamu gendong, is
\nusually hawked around the neighborhood by women whose knowledge
\nof nature's healing powers was passed on from their ancestors.<\/p>\n
Mbok jamu generally peddles her herbal tonics -- strapped to
\nher back in a bamboo basket -- around the city's streets, wet
\nmarkets and residential areas. Some have permanent customers,
\nother meet their customers on their way.<\/p>\n
Although there is an indication that traditional medicine is
\non the rise, Suwijiyo said, it is still limited to the middle and
\nlower classes.<\/p>\n
Neither modern nor traditional jamu producers consider
\nthe other their rivals because each has a different market.<\/p>\n
Consumers of factory-produced jamu are said to be those of the
\nmiddle to upper classes who march to the fast pace of modern life
\nand prefer to have instant herbal tonics instead of waiting for
\nthe mbok jamu to pass by.<\/p>\n
Construction workers, housemaids, housewives, food vendors,
\npublic transport drivers and pedestrians are the regular
\ncustomers of mbok jamu.<\/p>\n
Martha Tilaar, a businesswoman specializing in jamu and
\ncosmetics holds yearly contests for jamu vendors, with the
\nintention of raising public awareness and promoting the welfare
\nof jamu vendors.<\/p>\n
\"I just happen to be luckier than them. They are by no means
\nmy competitors,\" Martha said at the fifth vendor contest.<\/p>",
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