Traditional Medicine in Asia

Traditional Medicine in Asia
water-extracted jamu made from kemangi
(Ocimum basilicum), kunci and sirih to
keep the body smelling fresh and to prevent
leucorrhoea (excessive vaginal discharge).
To prepare for sex, they take jamu sari
rapat, which is available at kiosks. It can
contain from 10–40 jamu materials.
Mondays and Thursdays are special days
for couples: there is a belief that having
sexual intercourse in these days is ibadah, c
and that the reward awaiting them is as
glorious as that merited by a killer of 40
disbelievers and a thousand demons. To
effectively constrict the vaginal opening and
lubricate the vagina, jamu is applied
externally or a jamu stick is inserted into
the vagina just before intercourse to absorb
the cervical mucus. In order to enhance
sexual potency and relieve fatigue, the
husband takes jamu selokarang,
supplemented with eggs and honey. To
indicate that she is ready, the wife adorns
the bed with jasmines and lights some
fragrant incense.
Special care is taken during pregnancy,
which can be categorized into early and
advanced. In the early stages of
pregnancy, the woman uses jamu anton
muda. After six months, jamu cabe puyang
is used to relieve fatigue and pain. To
hasten delivery, the woman should take
coconut oil supplemented with raw egg
yolk. Some also drink the water of green
coconuts. Finally, they take jamu that serves
as a stimulant for lactation in order to
prepare for breastfeeding.
Postnatally, the mother uses certain
postnatal jamus, packages of which can
be ordered before delivery. Such jamu is
taken from the first day after delivery upto
day 35 or 40. The package consists of
many kinds of jamus, which should be
c Ibadah signifies good deeds in the eyes of Allah
50
consumed sequentially, in accordance with
the post-pregnancy convalescence
process. For the first 20 days, jamu is taken
to remove blood residue and mucus from
the uterus. Subsequently, jamu is used for
restoring the uterus and abdomen to their
former size, and for relieving fatigue. The
mother takes various kinds of food to
enhance the production of breast milk.
These include vegetables, katu (Sauropus
androgynus) leaves and different varieties
of beans. Spicy foods, ice and foods with a
high water content are avoided.
The child of a lactating mother using
jamu may suffer from constipation, and his
stool may be dark and have a bad odour.
This is believed to indicate good health, the
assumption being that the baby is thus
getting rid of harmful abdominal wastes.
This continues for around a month, till the
time the mother stops taking jamu.
Jamu is also used for the spacing of
births. Most mothers in Sumenep take
jamu pills made at home. These contain a
small amount of lime encased in tamarind
(Tamarindus indica) flesh. About five to
seven such pills are taken as a single dose
after each menstruation. According to a
herbalist, this method is quite effective.
Though they do not use modern
contraceptive methods, each couple in
Sumenep has only one or two children. In
order to treat primary or secondary
amenorrhoea, while avoiding pregnancy at
the same time, women consume “hot jamu”
containing clove, pepper, cabe jamu (Piper
retrofractum), ginger, tamarind flesh and
other substances. To overcome infertility,
women use “cool jamu”, which contains
beluntas (Pluchea indica), sirih (Piper
betle), trawas (Litsea odorifera) leaves and
10–20 other substances.