checked by Rich

checked by Rich
Sudibyo M. Wiradji
Contributor
Jakarta

More people turning to traditional medicine

While many rely heavily on modern medicines for many
reasons, the number of people consuming alternative drugs,
including the traditional herbal-based medicines, continues to
rise in line with the growing trend of "back to nature"
lifestyle.

Consumers take the herbal-based medicines, inherited from
their ancestors, for therapeutic or health maintenance purposes.

Since the worst-ever economic crisis hit Indonesia five years
ago, the prices of modern medicines have substantially increased,
leading many low-income bracket people to turn to alternative
drugs. Commonly, parents with good knowledge of traditional
medicines can prepare the medicines by themselves, without
asking advise from a physician.

Daryono, a teacher at an elementary school, for instance, said
that he prepared the concoctions himself, especially for light
illnesses like diarrhea or a stomach ache. "The knowledge on the
traditional medicines is gained from word of mouth. I got the
knowledge from my parents. And my parents got the knowledge from
my grandparents," he said.

When his five-year old daughter suffered from diarrhea, he
asked her to drink one tea-spoon of squeezed kunyit (turmeric)
once daily. "The turmeric should be first rasped and extracted,"
he said.

Also, when his daughter lost her appetite to eat, instead of
buying Vitamin B Complex or another kind of liquid vitamin for
children, he asked her to drink one teaspoon of traditional
medicine which he prepared. "The formula comprises a slice of
what is locally known as temu lawak (wild ginger), brown sugar
and tamarind," he said.

Many with little knowledge on the traditional medicines, get
advise from a physician who also provides the material of the
medicines.

Warsono, 60, for instance, suffered from a serious stroke and
could not move his arms. As a bus driver and a father of six
children, he cannot afford to go to a hospital and buy modern
medicine. Therefore, he went the traditional route and a
physician gave him the medicines based on the prescription he
prepared.

"He asked me to drink boiled water of kepel leaves, mixed with
brown sugar and temu lawak. I just obeyed what the physician
ordered. I drank the water three times a day and thank God, one
month later, I fully recovered from the effects of the stroke,"
he said.

Traditional herbal-based medicines can be easily found
in kiosks at markets, as well as at the corner drugstores. The
sight of women carrying a basket with bottles of liquid
traditional herbs on their back walking from door to door in
villages is common.

With the sharp hike in pharmaceutical medicine prices, more
kiosks or drugstores sell plants with medicinal properties in
powder, capsule or liquid form. Many others have also tried to
plant the plants with medicinal properties in their gardens.
Among the sought-after plants include sambiloto (green chiretta),
daun dewa (gynura pseudo-china), kumis kucing (orthosiphon
spicatus) and temu lawak (wild ginger).

Producers provide alternative medicines in the form of
powder, fresh plants, dried plants, and capsules. According to
W.P Winarto, who runs the Karyasari herb-based medicine clinic in
Bogor, West Java, the number of consumers seeking alternative
medicines that he provides continues to increase, especially daun
dewa, sambiloto and temu lawak. Daun dewa herbal medicines are
said to be used for preventing strokes and heart attacks. It can
also help children with cramps.

Sambiloto is used by many for healing hypertension, coughing,
diabetes and can also serve as an antibiotic. Temu lawak is said
to cure stomach aches and hepatitis in addition to increasing
one's appetite.

Winarto claimed that the side effects from modern chemical-
based medicines were mostly drowsiness and irregular heartbeat
and that was why many chose herbal medicine.

Another producer said that alternative medicines,
including traditional herbal medicines also had side
effects but that they were not as pronounced as those produced by
modern medicines.

Citing an example, he said that celery leaves can be
used to help heal hypertension. "But when the patient
consumes too much and he never exposes himself to the sun, he
will suffer from itching," said one traditional healer, who
declined to be named.

But somehow, whatever the result, the alternative medicines
could gain wider acceptance amongst Indonesian consumers because
it is in their heritage.