Traditional herbal medicine gains prominence

By Gedsiri Suhartono

JAKARTA (JP): Timidly receiving her trophy and Rp 250,000 (US$106.38) in cash prize as the winner in a traditional jamu herbal medicine contest last Saturday, Ngatimin recalled how she found it difficult to sell jamu when she first started marketing it 25 years ago.

"It was not an easy job carrying these heavy bottles, especially back when not many people knew about jamu. I often had to drink the remaining jamu when I returned home," she said.

Twenty-five years of hard work won Ngatimin first prize in a contest for jamu vendors at Taman Mini (Indonesia in Miniature Park) in East Jakarta.

Ngatimin learned about the various jamu medicines from her cousin, Sularni, in her youth.

A native of Wonogiri, Central Java, Ngatimin hawks her herbal remedies twice a day, earning between Rp 10,000 and Rp 15,000 (between $4.34 and $6.52) a day. Her three children have been put through school and are now employees of private firms.

Today, Ngatimin enjoys selling jamu, which is believed to heal many physical ailments, due to the degree of independence she feels in earning her own money and being able to contribute to her family's needs.

Festival

Ngatimin was among the 50 jamu vendor-finalists demonstrating their expertise in concocting remedies before a team of judges and visitors at Taman Mini.

Two hundred participants who failed to reach the finals also packed into the Central Java pavilion to support contesting colleagues. Vendors considered the gathering an entertaining reunion with other vendors.

This year's festival was the fifth held by Martha Tilaar's cosmetic company PT Martina Berto, a company specializing in cosmetics and herbal products, and the Taman Mini management.

Not having to pay an entrance fee for the contest, participants were given a new set of kebaya (traditional Javanese blouse), batik sarong, a package of Martha Tilaar cosmetics and an umbrella.

Commonly seen on streets and in markets, the average jamu vendor wears a kebaya, carries a pail of water to rinse glasses, and has a woven bamboo basket containing bottles of jamu strapped to the back by a long scarf.

Farida Aryati, one of the judges from the Indonesian Women Managers Association, said the jamu vendors were judged according to the taste of their jamu, their skill in concocting it and their overall presentation.

Coming forth in groups of six, the contestants swayed to the strains of gamelan music and smilingly concocted their remedies to finally present a glass of it to the judges.

Some contestants seemed to overgroom themselves for the occasion.

"We look for the daily authenticities of a vendor," Farida explained, citing that the first runner-up wore thongs on her feet and not high heels.

Farida told The Jakarta Post that contestants' daily mannerisms in serving and preparing jamu naturally surfaced in their presentation before the judges.

"Suparti, a three-time awardee, is the only one who serves her jamu on a tray, and has been treating her customers this way," Farida said.

Martha Tilaar said she initially held the festival with the intention of sharing her good fortune with other women who had not been as lucky as she in selling herbal products.

"We serve different customers, so we are not rivals but we support each other's growth," Martha said.

Customers

Traditional jamu vendors sell their products to pedestrians, construction workers, public transport drivers and housebound customers.

Martha's products, on the other hand, are geared toward middle and upper class urbanites who often do not have time to wait for traditional vendors to call at their homes.

In the relatively near future, Martha and the Taman Mini management expect to start a cooperative which will enable vendors to have cheaper access to good quality herbs.

Several development programs to educate vendors have been conducted by the Taman Mini management. The importance of hygienically preparing the ingredients, for example, is just a starting point to boost the growth of the small industry of these vendors.

Through regular gatherings, the women have also been informed of a safer way to handle their money in order to be their own financial managers instead of relying on others.

"Instead of tucking their money under their pillows or bury it in a bottle around their house, we try to tell them that their money can increase in amount if they put it in the bank," said Mas'ud Thoyib, a Taman Mini representative.

The humanistic approach, Mas'ud claimed, intends only to boost the growth of the small industry, in addition to preserving one of Indonesia's cultural heritages, especially since jamu has lately gained prominence among the greater public.

"Nowadays, when the Go Green and Back to Nature campaigns advocate a more health-conscious lifestyle and eating patterns, it is to our disadvantage if we choose to ignore the treasure before us," Martha concluded.