Putu Krisna, a taxi driver from Denpasar, claims that he is addicted to this herbal tonic. “I do not know exactly why but after drinking jamu, I feel much more refreshed and stronger. It might be just a habit but I’m not sure!”

Like the men who use it to boost their energy, many women also regard jamu as an integral part of their health-care routine. “I’ve been drinking jamu for the last two years and have never felt better,” says Ni Made Arini, a Balinese woman.

There is a large assortment of jamu to choose from, appealing to various needs, tastes and even fantasies. For men, or perhaps, rather, for the women who buy it for their husbands, the so-called jamu kuat (lit. strong jamu) is favoured for its reputed ability to boost the libido to Eiffel Tower proportions - judging from the illustration accompanying it. For women, jamu galian singset ensures a regular menstrual cycle. Some forms of jamu, it is said, can cause a pregnant woman to miscarry. Jamu galian rapat is said to be much sought after (perhaps by the men who buy it for their wives, rather than the women themselves for whom it is meant!?, ed.) for its capacity to return the kind of virginal ‘narrowness’ to women who have since graduated from that state. Other types of jamu especially catering for women are said to keep them from sweating or prevent body odor. But the most widely known of all jamus, the ubiquitous, appetite-whetting, fatigue-relieving beras kencur (made from galangal and rice flour) is favoured by men and women alike.

Some jamu gendong are mere employees, and it is their boss who is responsible for preparing the various tonics which she then has peddled around by an armada of young women. Most jamu gendong, however, are self-employed and boil their ingredients two or three hours before setting off. Nowadays, as well as in liquid form from the jamu gendong’s glass bottles, jamu can also be bought from supermarkets or roadside stalls in the form of sachets or capsules. But buying from the jamu gendong is undoubtedly both more romantic and more convenient than either making it at home or buying it in sachet form. For a mere Rp500 - Rp1,000, the jamu gendong delivers it ready-to-drink, and right to the doorstep.

Some people favour buying jamu from a jamu gendong over buying it elsewhere for - they claim- the jamu gendong’s undeniable prettiness. Indeed, a plain jamu gendong may have trouble convincing prospective customers that she has the capacity to improve their libido. In fact, such are the sexual innuendos connected with ordering jamu, that to survive as a jamu gendong is to learn how to balance a certain reserve with a toughness of spirit. Most young jamu sellers confess to having experienced harassment of some sort from male customers. “Sometimes, the men can get pretty aggressive. One day, a man literally ran after me even though he knew very well that I was a married woman,” says Sutini.

In spite of this, door to door peddling can be a successful venture. The ‘territory’ of a single jamu gendong can cover up to 200 houses. According to Sutini, however, these ‘territories’ are in no way strictly guarded, just as the jamu gendong is not known for her hard-nosed business edge. “There is no cause for rivalry in this business,” she says. “Everyone has their own share of luck. We do not need to hunt for buyers. We are all sellers of the same product. Therefore, we must all live together in harmony.”

Generally speaking, the raw ingredients for jamu come from leaves, bark and roots. Although some jamu gendong may seek ingredients elsewhere, most import them from the Solo area in Central Java, the ‘heartland’ of their trade. Fifty kilometers south of Solo is the Guter market - the biggest and cheapest jamu market in Java.

The practice of jamu preparation has been passed down orally from generation to generation. With the exception of jamu especially prepared for the court, there are no fixed recipes or reference books to be referred to in a moment of doubt. Everything rests on experience, and some kinds of jamu are even said to require meditation or fast before being prepared.

photos Bali Echo's collection.