Traditional herbal medicine gains prominence

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.