'Jamu' gets its day of recognition

'Jamu' gets its day of recognition

Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The market for traditional herbal-based medicines, popularly
known as jamu, is expected to further grow as these ancient
concoctions are gaining wider acceptance amongst consumers.

Once regarded with suspicion over its questionable dosage and
preparation techniques, jamu remedies have made tremendous
inroads.

Official sales of jamu, according to health officials, topped
over Rp 800 billion last year.

Unofficial estimates puts the sales of jamu as high as Rp 3
trillion.

With better marketing, professionalism and hygiene in its
preparation process, including adherence to government production
standards for medicinal products, some believe jamu could in the
future account for the bulk of all medicine sales in the country.

"In the future (we hope that) about two-thirds of purchases
for medicines will be for indigenous Indonesian medicines,"
Trisakti University's rector Thoby Mutis said on Saturday.

Thoby further believes the increased sales of local medicines,
such as jamu would help the economy as this industry is dominated
by small local industries.

The Association of Indonesian Traditional Herbal Producers
have made strides to push through acceptance of jamu products
among the general public, particularly in the upper middle class.

These efforts include the establishment of diploma programs in
universities specifically geared to supply qualified and
professional people to cater the burgeoning market.

Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University was the first to establish
such a program in January.

On Saturday Trisakti University here signed a memorandum with
the Association to follow suit.

"I'm confident of the program's success," Thoby remarked
adding that mounting sales opened up potential job opportunities
for skilled professionals in this field.

Speaking during a seminar on jamu at the university to mark
Saturday's signing, Wahono Sumaryono, deputy chief of Agro
Industrial Technology and Biopharmacy at the Agency for the Study
and Application of Technology (BPPT), highlighted the natural
potential Indonesia has to excel in the herbal medicine market.

According to Wahono there are 30,000 species of plants in the
country of which 940 are known to have medicinal qualities.

At least 283 are registered at the Directorate General of Food
and Medicine Control for use in various herbal medicines.

According to the Association there are some 800 companies
producing herbal medicines in Indonesia. Almost all are medium or
small home industries.

Highlighting the huge market potential, Wahono said about 49
percent of Indonesians, particularly the rural population in Java
and Lampung, use jamu for therapeutic and health preserving
qualities.

The global market trend also seems to support the "back to
nature" tendency as a 1995 World Health Organization survey
claims that 80 percent of the world's population depend on
nature-based remedies.

The chairperson of the Association, Mooryati Sudibyo, during
the seminar said various efforts were being done to reintroduce
jamu in Indonesia's increasingly western-oriented society.

Mooryati claims that PT Nyonya Meneer helped pioneer clinical
research on the subject and helped improve the image of jamu by
embarking on a research project with Gadjah Mada University's
Center for Traditional Medicine Study in 1990.
The outcome was an anti-rheumatism medicine called rheumaneer.

According to her, the company has invested Rp 50 billion to
develop the market share for this product alone.