Khoiriyah cleans up her 'jamu' herbal medicines

MOJOKERTO, East Java (JP): Khoiriyah is known in her neighborhood as a maker of jamu, the traditional herbal concoction used by Javanese for whatever ails them.

But she is different from her many counterparts.

She is following in footsteps of her grandmother and mother in preparing the concoction. But, beginning two years ago, she has added some modern touches to her family's time-honored tradition of mixing the herbs.

Khoiriyah is more precise in sorting and blending the leaves, and she is using a hygienic method.

It all began when Khoiriyah, a resident of Tamiajeng village, Trawas subdistrict, some 60 kilometers southwest of Surabaya, joined a motivation and training class run by the local NGO, Environment Education Center, or PPLH Seloliman as it is better known.

Along with 10 other young mothers from the village, Khoiriyah has twice-monthly sessions with PPLH Seloliman, in which they learn to improve their jamu making skills.

Instructions include how to precisely measure the herbs and store them.

"My mother and grandmother would use their thumbs to measure the amount of leaves needed to blend a jamu potion. And they used to disregard the aspect of cleanliness, too," she said.

She buys most of her ingredients from other villagers.

"I am in the sixth grade of the training class now," Khoiriyah, 37, she proudly told The Jakarta Post.

The women's success is motivating others in the village to branch out in their work.

"We have a monthly meeting with other village women in the village hall where we share our experiences," she said.

Tamiajeng is a small village located on a hillside. Most villagers are simple farmers and live harmoniously with nature.

In their modest house, Khoiriyah, and her carpenter husband Sulton Hadi, 40, live with their three teenage children. Their 16-year-old son is in senior high school, and their two daughters are 14 and 11 years old.

"Now, I can earn at least Rp 75,000 a month, which can cover half of the family's monthly expenses...with some savings, thanks to my part-time jamu work," she told The Jakarta Post.

Khoiriyah said she did household chores during the daytime, and made the medicine at night in her kitchen.

She also supplements the family's income by accepting orders to make clothes.

Without her family's support, she said she would be unable to do all her work.

Her husband helps her find the bottles used for blending the herbal medicines. He also delivers the product to drugstores in nearby villages.

"The kids in their holidays sometimes help me sort the leaves and other materials," said Khoiriyah.

She is looking to expand her business, but said she faced one stumbling block.

"I wish I could have more capital to develop my business." (aan)