Traditional herbal medicine gains prominence<\/p>\n
By Gedsiri Suhartono<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Timidly receiving her trophy and Rp 250,000
\n(US$106.38) in cash prize as the winner in a traditional jamu
\nherbal medicine contest last Saturday, Ngatimin recalled how she
\nfound it difficult to sell jamu when she first started marketing
\nit 25 years ago.<\/p>\n
\"It was not an easy job carrying these heavy bottles,
\nespecially back when not many people knew about jamu. I often had
\nto drink the remaining jamu when I returned home,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Twenty-five years of hard work won Ngatimin first prize in a
\ncontest for jamu vendors at Taman Mini (Indonesia in Miniature
\nPark) in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Ngatimin learned about the various jamu medicines from her
\ncousin, Sularni, in her youth.<\/p>\n
A native of Wonogiri, Central Java, Ngatimin hawks her herbal
\nremedies twice a day, earning between Rp 10,000 and Rp 15,000
\n(between $4.34 and $6.52) a day. Her three children have been put
\nthrough school and are now employees of private firms.<\/p>\n
Today, Ngatimin enjoys selling jamu, which is believed to heal
\nmany physical ailments, due to the degree of independence she
\nfeels in earning her own money and being able to contribute to
\nher family's needs.<\/p>\n
Festival<\/p>\n
Ngatimin was among the 50 jamu vendor-finalists demonstrating
\ntheir expertise in concocting remedies before a team of judges
\nand visitors at Taman Mini.<\/p>\n
Two hundred participants who failed to reach the finals also
\npacked into the Central Java pavilion to support contesting
\ncolleagues. Vendors considered the gathering an entertaining
\nreunion with other vendors.<\/p>\n
This year's festival was the fifth held by Martha Tilaar's
\ncosmetic company PT Martina Berto, a company specializing in
\ncosmetics and herbal products, and the Taman Mini management.<\/p>\n
Not having to pay an entrance fee for the contest,
\nparticipants were given a new set of kebaya (traditional Javanese
\nblouse), batik sarong, a package of Martha Tilaar cosmetics and
\nan umbrella.<\/p>\n
Commonly seen on streets and in markets, the average jamu
\nvendor wears a kebaya, carries a pail of water to rinse glasses,
\nand has a woven bamboo basket containing bottles of jamu strapped
\nto the back by a long scarf.<\/p>\n
Farida Aryati, one of the judges from the Indonesian Women
\nManagers Association, said the jamu vendors were judged according
\nto the taste of their jamu, their skill in concocting it and
\ntheir overall presentation.<\/p>\n
Coming forth in groups of six, the contestants swayed to the
\nstrains of gamelan music and smilingly concocted their remedies
\nto finally present a glass of it to the judges.<\/p>\n
Some contestants seemed to overgroom themselves for the
\noccasion.<\/p>\n
\"We look for the daily authenticities of a vendor,\" Farida
\nexplained, citing that the first runner-up wore thongs on her
\nfeet and not high heels.<\/p>\n
Farida told The Jakarta Post that contestants' daily
\nmannerisms in serving and preparing jamu naturally surfaced in
\ntheir presentation before the judges.<\/p>\n
\"Suparti, a three-time awardee, is the only one who serves her
\njamu on a tray, and has been treating her customers this way,\"
\nFarida said.<\/p>\n
Martha Tilaar said she initially held the festival with the
\nintention of sharing her good fortune with other women who had
\nnot been as lucky as she in selling herbal products.<\/p>\n
\"We serve different customers, so we are not rivals but we
\nsupport each other's growth,\" Martha said.<\/p>\n
Customers<\/p>\n
Traditional jamu vendors sell their products to pedestrians,
\nconstruction workers, public transport drivers and housebound
\ncustomers.<\/p>\n
Martha's products, on the other hand, are geared toward middle
\nand upper class urbanites who often do not have time to wait for
\ntraditional vendors to call at their homes.<\/p>\n
In the relatively near future, Martha and the Taman Mini
\nmanagement expect to start a cooperative which will enable
\nvendors to have cheaper access to good quality herbs.<\/p>\n
Several development programs to educate vendors have been
\nconducted by the Taman Mini management. The importance of
\nhygienically preparing the ingredients, for example, is just a
\nstarting point to boost the growth of the small industry of these
\nvendors.<\/p>\n
Through regular gatherings, the women have also been informed
\nof a safer way to handle their money in order to be their own
\nfinancial managers instead of relying on others.<\/p>\n
\"Instead of tucking their money under their pillows or bury it
\nin a bottle around their house, we try to tell them that their
\nmoney can increase in amount if they put it in the bank,\" said
\nMas'ud Thoyib, a Taman Mini representative.<\/p>\n
The humanistic approach, Mas'ud claimed, intends only to boost
\nthe growth of the small industry, in addition to preserving one
\nof Indonesia's cultural heritages, especially since jamu has
\nlately gained prominence among the greater public.<\/p>\n
\"Nowadays, when the Go Green and Back to Nature campaigns
\nadvocate a more health-conscious lifestyle and eating patterns,
\nit is to our disadvantage if we choose to ignore the treasure
\nbefore us,\" Martha concluded.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/traditional-herbal-medicine-gains-prominence-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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