'Gurah', the art of cleaning oneself from the inside

Christina Schott, Contributor, Yogyakarta

It is the feeling you get when you are swimming and you accidentally take a deep breath just when a wave hits your face: a prickling sensation that goes up to the ends of your hair, making you puff and snort.

But lying on the big traditional divan in Haji Muhammad Hisyam's house, you are unfortunately not supposed to snort or even spit. You have to stand the inconvenient feeling for about one hour.

Adding to the inconvenience is being in between other groaning patients treated at the same time by one of the oldest gurah healers of Giriloyo, a small village 20 kilometers south of Yogyakarta.

Tourist guides claim that gurah, a special treatment for the respiratory system with jamu (traditional herbal medicine), has become a trend that visitors to Yogyakarta should not miss. They will recommend a bergurah -- to rinse out one's mouth with the jamu.

The substance is extracted from the root of the sirgunggu tree, and then dissolved in cold water. It rinses out not only the patients' mouth, but his sinuses, nose and throat.

The root contains saponin, which supports the production of mucus by enlarging the blood vessels. Gurah is supposed to be a cleaning procedure for people who have problems with their mucous membranes. It is meant to heal sinusitis and prevent a cold, to heal allergies and asthma, to clear the vocal cords and clean out deposits in smoker's lungs.

"You will be freed from all the dirt in your respiratory system if you follow the procedure," Hisyam says. "Citizens from polluted cities like Jakarta, people who spend a lot of time in air-conditioned rooms or strong smokers will feel relief after the treatment."

Hisyam is proud of the fact that he is a descendent of Marzuki, one of the first generation Gurah healers in the area.

Nowadays there are several other places in Indonesia where Jamu specialists treat their patients with the sirgunggu extract, especially in major cities.

Besides, there are several instant products and capsules, promising the same effect without going to a healer. However, people are still coming to Giriloyo from as far away as Australia, France, Saudi Arabia and Mexico.

Maybe it is also the lovely surroundings that lead some guests to the idyllic village: A half-hour drive from Yogyakarta, the street winds its way through green hills and fields, while some villagers sit in the shadow of their houses.

But most visitors come because Giriloyo is believed to be the origin of gurah. There the sirgunggu tree grows on the hills around Giriloyo and Imogiri and of course it grows only there, if you believe the words of the villagers.

The treatment is rather inconvenient. With a leaf, the healer dribbles some of the liquid into the patient's nose. The patient, lying on his back, has to hold his breath and swallow the liquid running down his throat. Then he has to turn around and place his forehead on a wooden bench in front of the divan where a bucket is put below his face.

Almost immediately mucus will start flowing out of his mouth and nose. Throughout the treatment, the patient receives a massage, which helps him not to concentrate too much on the discomfort he is feeling from his forehead to his chin.

Obviously this inconvenience fails to discourage people from seeking the treatment.

At every intersection and at almost every house in Giriloyo and surrounding villages are signs and nameplates of so-called gurah specialists. But not every "specialist" has really learned how to do the treatment, so that only a few places with a better reputation are frequented.

The house of Hisyam is one of the busiest. He receives about 25 patients a day. The three-time haj is a small white-haired man in his 60s, who possesses a certain dignity. He is convinced that only a Muslim man can carry out the gurah treatment. "The most important thing is to recite the Koran before helping the patient," he says.

But Hisyam does not hesitate to treat people from other religions. He proudly shows a whole photo album of his international clients from Japan, Cameroon, America and the Netherlands.

He claims that famous singers like Nicky Astria or entertainer Dorce Gamalama are on the list of his celebrity clients. And if some of these celebrities are too busy to come themselves they provide him or his son with an air ticket to Jakarta, such as what the husband of President Megawati did.

Some are skeptical about the claimed efficacy of gurah. They say that even if there have been no incidents reported, an overdose of the extract might create problems.

Patients with asthma or heart problems should avoid the treatment, because during the procedure breathing becomes difficult, so is the advice of Soepomo Soekardano, an ear, nose and throat specialist from the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

Due to the loss of body liquid in the form of mucus, it is also important to drink a lot before and after the procedure.

Hisyam is quite sophisticated about his treatment. While explaining to his patients what to expect, he serves them tea and fruits.

Soon after the treatment, the patient gets a warm jamu drink made of honey, lemon and ginger to get rid of the rough feeling in the throat. The healer also advises his patients to eat warm meals in the next two days as well as to avoid ice for the following week.

A study on Hisyam's medical treatment in 1997 by the ear, nose and throat department of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University found that thus far gurah has had no side effects.

A final scientific conclusion about the benefits of a gurah treatment though has yet to be reached.

Experts from the Research Center for Traditional Medicine doubt that gurah can clean out smokers' lungs, but note that nicotine goes into the body and is not easy to remove.

However, for somebody whose nose is permanently affected by Jakarta's dust and air-conditioned offices, the treatment gives a freeing feeling of having fresh breath and a clear head afterwards.

But Hisyam's final advice is definitely unhealthy: When you get up tomorrow morning, have a hot coffee and enjoy how nice your cigarette will taste.

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