“Jamu” is a term for traditional medicinal drinks in Indonesia that are made from all-natural materials like roots, leaves, bark and fruit. Jamu also incorporates traditional, delicious native spices like tumeric and ginger. In many cities across Indonesia like Bali, you can find vendors hawking their unique jamu juices to heal your ails — no recipe is quite the same as another, since instructions for genuine jamu are rarely written down. Instead, they are passed down through generations, from mother to daughter. So, a Jamu recipe you sample on the streets of Bali may be the same recipe once enjoyed by ancient Javanese kings! Although jamu is a form of Eastern medicine, it also has many popular cosmetic uses. You can find jamu in all forms — as juice, dried herbs, powder, and nowadays even as tablets or capsules. You can also try your hand and making some of your own! So what exactly can jamu do for you?
Scar Removal
Jamu offers effective and natural solutions for unsightly scars. The right recipe will draw out toxins to smooth and tone your skin. Try an aloe vera and corn mask – in a blender, combine 3 tablespoons of fresh, peeled aloe vera with the kernels cut from a cob of fresh sweet corn. Apply to desired area, wait until dry and then rinse. Another popular Jamu recipe for scar removal is to blend a few slices of bittergourd with rice-flour powder. This paste is best applied to clean skin and left to sit overnight.
For Jamu skin healing products, try:
Exfoliant
To use the power of jamu to treat acne or seasonal dry skin, try concocting your own body scrub. Soak 2 tablespoons of rice in water to soften, and in a blender combine rice with 50 grams of unpeeled galangal ginger (regular ginger is fine, too), and 5-10 cloves. Add enough water to create a paste. Store any unused body scrub in the fridge!
For Jamu exfoliating products, try this peel at The Jamu Shop
Hair Conditioning
Try this jamu recipe for shinier, healthier hair: Mmash a ripe avocado with egg yolk, a teaspoon of honey, and a teaspoon of coconut oil. After shampooing and rinsing your hair, add to hair, let sit for 20-30 minutes, and then rinse. Try this deep-conditioning treatment twice a week for best results.
For Jamu hair products, try Jamu Hair Conditioner
For more tips and tricks on how to create your own Jamu recipes, check out this video.
For further reading on Jamu’s healing powers:
“Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing”
