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40 Jamu Juice Benefits for Health #1 Top Indonesian Herbal

Jamu is a traditional herbal drink from  Indonesia. Jamu is consisted of some chosen herbal plants and spices. When formulated in the right way, jamu has as much health benefits as medicines from drugstores. Traditional jamu is made with natural and traditional process, and it is one of the heritage of Indonesian ancestors.

We can find traditional jamu in traditional kiosks, although nowadays there are many drug factories that make instant jamu. But, of course the taste is different, since the traditional jamu is more fresh. Indeed, here are jamu juice benefits for health.

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Here are some of the most popular jamu drinks, including their health benefits:

  1. Beras Kencur (Cutcherry)

Beras kencur is one of the most popular jamu. It is made of extracts of kaempferia galanga, rice, ginger, and tamarind. The taste is sweet and refreshing, due to the palm sugar as sweetener. This jamu can be consumed by children and adult. Also read: Benefits of Turmeric

The health benefits of this jamu are:

  • Increases stamina: it is very suitable for hard workers, because beras kencur has the benefits of eliminating fatigue, weakness, and eliminating muscle aches. Sometimes, this jamu is called the traditional daily dopping because this jamu is made of chosen herbs which does not have dangerous side effects.
  • Treatment of Gastric Problem: consuming beras kencur is also good to treat gastric problem. The vitamin B in beras kencur can promote healthy gastric walls. The difference with other gastric drug is, this jamu does not have any side effects.
  • Increases Appetite: another health benefit of jamu beras kencur is increasing appetite, especially in children and sick people. It is not difficult to make children drink this jamu, as they like the sweet taste.

Moreover, according to the ingredients contained in this type of jamu, we can find jamu juice benefits of each ingredient:

  • Powdered rice: Rice has many health benefits, for example as energy booster; source of Vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, C, and D; rice is also known to maintain healthy digestive system and increases appetite.
  • Kaempferia galanga: Kaempferia galanga has a very distinctive, refreshing smell. It has been used from generations to generations (especially around Asia) as remedy for sore throat, cough, stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and driving away “impure blood”. The mashed fresh roots can be applied on the skin to relieve muscle sprain. The refreshing aroma can elevate mood.
  • Ginger: Relieves headache, nausea, muscle-aches, osteoarthritis, and dysmenorrhea. Many jamu drinks use ginger as one of their ingredients.
  • Tamarind: Tamarind is a good source of vitamin C. It also helps reduce weight and cholesterol, as home remedy for fever, jaundice, scorbut, rheumatism, insomnia, and promotes faster wound healing.
  • Palm sugar: Palm sugar has low glycemic index, so it is very safe for diabetic and autistic patients. As unrefined sugar, palm sugar has much more health benefits than cane sugar, for example it contains iron, which can prevent anemia and muscle pain. All jamu benefits drinks use palm sugar as sweetener.

Also read: Health Benefit of Ginger-Honey – Health Benefits of Ginger Milk

  1. Kunyit Asam

Kunyit asam is the second most-consumed jamu. Now, it is even produced in sachets and exported worldwide. The main ingredients are turmeric and tamarind, but other ingredients (such as palm sugar, curcuma, ginger, kaempferia galanga, piper beetle, etc) may be added. Most of the consumers of this jamu are women.

Health benefits of this jamu are:

  • Neutralizes toxins: Turmeric has been known for centuries as a remedy to maintain healthy liver by neutralizing toxins, so the liver can “rest”  for a while. The high antioxidants contained in turmeric can fight free radicals, thus preventing us to get early aging and degenerative diseases.
  • Natural diet drink: Drinking jamu kunyit asam regularly can help reduce weight, especially after giving birth. This is one of the reason why many women like to consume kunyit asam.
  • Regulates menstrual cycle: Normal women has regular menstrual cycle. But when a woman is stressed or experiences too much fatigue, mentrual cycle can be irregular. One of herbal remedies to regulate menstrual cycle is jamu kunyit asam. It also helps reduce dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain) and leukorrhea.  Since this jamu can accelerate menstruation, this jamu is forbidden for pregnant women.

Also read: Health Benefits of Drinking Turmeric with Milk and Honey – Benefits of Raw Turmeric for Skin

According to the ingredients, the health benefits of each ingredient are:

  • Turmeric: Relieves stomach pain, prevents heart attack and diabetes, fights cancer, prevents early aging, protects brain, reduces arthritis, regulates menstruation.
  • Piper betel: natural antiseptic, reduces toothache, remedy for cough, sore throat, scorbut, bad breath and fever, natural treatment of vaginal candidiasis and leukorrhea, regulates menstruation.
  • Tamarind: See point 1

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  1. Sinom

Jamu sinom is almost similar to kunyit asam, but the main ingredient is “sinom” (young tamarind leaves). Additional ingredients are usually curcuma, turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, and palm sugar. This jamu has many health benefits, for example increasing appetite, treatment of gastritis and leucorrhea.

According to the ingredients, we can see the health benefits of each ingredient:

  • Young tamarind leaves: treatment of malaria and jaundice, treatment of bleeding gums, prevents menstrual cramps, reduces inflammation and immune booster due to its anti-bacterial property.
  • Curcuma: Maintains healthy liver, reduces arthritis, reduces blood cholesterol, treatment of gastritis and maintains healthy digestive system, promotes healthy heart and kidneys, fights cancers.
  • Cardamom: maintains healthy gall bladder and stomach, maintains normal blood circulation, prevents cardiovascular disorders, promotes healthy bones and prevents osteoporosis, maintains healthy kidneys. It has analgesic and aphrodisiac property, and it also can elevate mood.
  • Nutmeg: natural analgesic, maintains healthy digestive system, good for brain, reduces blood pressure, body detoxification, prevents bad breath and insomnia, and has been known to help in leukemia treatments.

See also: Health Benefits of Cardamom – Health Benefits of Asafoetida

  1. Cabe Puyang

This jamu drink has 2 main ingredients: Javanese chilli (Piper retrofactum Vahl) and Lempuyang / bitter ginger. Jamu cabe puyang has many health benefits: driving away sore muscles caused by fatigue, and lower back pain. It also eliminates tingling. It is also known to eliminate premature ejaculation.

Since it has positive effect sexually, this jamu is often consumed by men, to increase their sexual performance and to eliminate sore muscles.

According to the ingredients, we can see the health benefits of each ingredient:

  • Javanese chilli: home remedy for respiratory diseases (cough, bronchitis, tuberculosis), puerperium (fever after giving birth), stomach ache, diarrhea, nausea, disentery, tooth ache. It is also used as tonic after giving birth, and aphrodisiac due to its positive effect in eliminating premature ejaculation.
  • Bitter ginger: natural anti-inflammation, reduces seizure, home remedy for gastritis, jaundice and hepatitis, increases appetite. It is also used for treatment of malaria, TB, pertussis.

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  1. Pahitan

This jamu is called pahitan because of the bitter taste (pahit = bitter in Indonesian language). This bitter taste is caused by the main ingredient, sambiloto leaves (Andrographis paniculata). This jamu is considered as the most bitter jamu. It has many health benefits: eliminating sore muscles, increases appetite, prevents diabetes and cleanses  blood.

With the unappealing taste, this type of jamu is mostly consumed by old people who are only looking for its health benefits without caring for the taste. But nowadays some young people start consuming it too, as it also has the health benefit of eliminating pimples.

Sambiloto leaves has many health benefits: maintain healthy digestion, treatment of respiratory problems (sore throat, cough, tonsilitis, bronchitis, allergic asthma, pneumonia, TB, sinusitis), treatment of liver problems (hepatitits, jaundice, and drug-induced liver damage), treatment of infections (leprosy, gonorrhoe, siphilis, malaria, cholera, leptospirosis), and to accelerate wound healing.

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  1. Uyup-uyup

Jamu uyup-uyup is very good for breastfeeding mothers. The ingredients are Kaempferia galanga, ginger, cassumunar ginger, galangal, turmeric, curcuma, bitter ginger and Curcuma heyneana. The health benefits are promotes production of breastmilk, eliminates body odor and cures bloating.

According to the ingredients, we can see the health benefits of each ingredients:

  • Cassumunar ginger: Eliminates headache, jaundice, bloating, rheumatism. It is also used as tonic after birth and used in traditional weightloss treatment.
  • Galangal: Stops diarrhea, reduces nausea,treatment of rheumatism, fungal infections on skin, prevents cancers and increases appetite.
  • Curcuma heyneana: eliminates intestinal worms, treatment of skin infections, eliminates bad breath and body odor, prevents obesity, accelerates wound healing.

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  1. Kunci Sirih

This jamu is made of kunci (finger root) and piper betel leaves. This jamu is very good for women because it can eliminate leucorrhea, body odor, tighten vaginal muscles and strengthen teeth.

According to the main ingredients, the health benefits of this jamu are:

  • Finger root: maintains healthy digestive system, neutralizes toxins in the body, increases appetite, reduces body odor when mixed with piper betel leaves, reduces pimples, rich in antioxidants, and reduces blood cholesterol level.
  • Piper betel: See point 2. Health Benefits of Betel Leaf

  1. Galian Singset

This type of jamu is made of Kaempferia galanga, curcuma, turmeric, tamarind, cinnamon, white pepper, galangal, lemongrass, cloves, cardamom, coriander, and other traditional herbs. This jamu is believed to maintain healthy female reproductive system, reduces body weight, and tightens body muscles, including vaginal muscles. With these health benefits, no wonder many women like to consume this type of jamu regularly.

According to its ingredients, the health benefits of jamu galian singset are:

  • White pepper: reduces body weight, treatment of arthritis and sinusitis, prevents cancer, reduces headache and stomach pain, reduces blood pressure and maintains healthy heart. It is also high in antioxidants.
  • Lemongrass: reduces blood cholesterol, anti-cancer, prevents infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, detoxification, maintains healthy digestive system, treatment of insomnia and respiratory problems (cough, sore throat, bronchial asthma), maintains normal blood sugar level, prevents obesity.
  • Cloves: Maintains healthy heart and digestive system, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties, anti-inflammation property, treatment of respiratory tract infections, reduces tooth ache, prevents nausea.
  • Cinnamon: controls blood sugar, anti-infection property, increases brain functions, reduces cholesterol, anti-cancer, reduces pain in rheumatism, maintain sexual hormon balances (estrogen and progesteron) in women.
  • Coriander: treatment of diarrhea, maintains healthy eyes and digestive system, prevents anemia, reduces blood cholesterol.

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More Health Benefits of Jamu Juice

Here are more jamu benefits for overall health

9. Kudu Laos

The main ingredient of this jamu is galangal; other ingredients includes ginger, Kaempferia galanga, turmeric, curcuma, etc in small quantity, The taste is very refreshing and gives warm effect in the body. The health benefits of this jamu are treatment of bloating and reduces fever. This jamu is good for everybody, both children and adults.

  1. Temulawak

The main ingredient of this type of jamu is curcuma (temulawak in Indonesian). Curcuma is very bitter, so to mask the bitterness, jamu makers add other additional ingredients, such as tamarind, palm sugar, pandan leaves and caraway. This jamu is good both for children and adults, because it can eliminate headache, nausea, and symptoms of cold.

See also: Health Benefits of Curcuma – Health Benefits of Acai Berry

Overdose Caution of Jamu Drink

Now, jamu is considered as herbal medicine, so we must consume it moderately. Over-consumption can lead to overdose and poisoning, just like any other drug.

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Indonesia, especially Java Island, is the home of jamu drinks. When consumed regularly, we can get the health benefits of jamu just like on-the-store drugs. Nowadays, modern jamu factories already produce instant jamu drink, which are exported worldwide. If we live in Indonesia, or travelling to Indonesia, we can try to consume jamu drinks, to get health benefits from natural Indonesian herbs.

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