Jakarta, March 19, 2024 - Jamu is a variety of traditional Indonesian herbal medicine concocted from various beneficial plants. Its existence and role continue to be used and develop until today.
On December 6, 2023, jamu was designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. This prompted PK-227 Djamoe Dwipantara to initiate a social project related to the preservation of traditional jamu and its utilization for alternative treatment for tracheostomy patients.
This activity invited pharmacist Joko Kawiyanto, also the Head of Pharmacy at Borobudur Health Industry, to explain the ins and outs of jamu. Currently, jamu products are generally divided into three categories: jamu, standardized herbal medicines (OHT), and phytopharmaceuticals.
Research on natural ingredient medicines is carried out based on market surveys and trends according to quality by design. OHT and phytopharmaceutical research require pre-clinical and clinical trials before standardization of raw materials can be conducted.
In terms of market potential, jamu has a large market potential due to the back-to-nature trend post-COVID-19. The challenges are uneven jamu quality, lack of herbal knowledge, implementation of CPOTB 2021, and competition with pharmacies and other traditional medicines.
Meanwhile, Professor at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Gadjah Mada University, Prof. Dr. Ir. Eni Harmayani, M.Sc, explained the historical documentation of jamu, its manufacturing process, classification of jamu, standardization of jamu in Indonesia, the benefits of antioxidants in jamu for health, various types of jamu, and research on jamu.
She emphasized the need for further research to support the development and utilization of jamu according to standards, from raw materials to products. In addition, multidisciplinary support is needed between the government, industry, academia, researchers, and the community to improve the quality, quantity, and continuity of jamu to improve the health quality of the Indonesian people.
Jamu and traditional medicine also have the potential to be complementary in the conventional treatment process to accommodate the needs of certain groups of society, such as special needs children using tracheostomy suffering from GERD.
Turmeric is known to be a complementary medicine for GERD. For its use to be more accepted and beneficial, serious research is needed for it to be utilized and accepted more widely with established standards.
The PK-227 social project related to jamu was conducted in a hybrid manner. It was attended by 157 people in person at Amo's Kitchen Restaurant, DKI Jakarta. Meanwhile, 125 people were seen participating in the presentation online via Zoom.
The social project is carried out after the completion of the Pre-Departure Preparation activities. Each PK batch is allowed to determine the activities that will be presented in the social project to the wider community.