Jamu - The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing
I finally finished reading a book in less than 1 week!
I couldn't remember when was the last time I got so excited over a book like this :D
I was on holiday though - the much needed rest after months. I thought a visit to the bookstore on my own would be rewarding, and yes! Came back with these:
I can never resist things related to metaphysics :)
The Runes Pack comes with a beautiful velvet pouch, at RM 66.90. I am on a budget, so before I decide to buy or not to buy, I had an agreement that the ceiling price would be RM80. Anything above that, put it back! *Grins* Imagine my happiness when I saw the price.
Runes is new to me but I'm always up to learning new things!
Anyway, back to the main book review - the Jamu book.
Authour: Susan-Jane Beers
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Pages: 187
Price: RM49
Susan-Jane Beers Says:
Indonesian jamu—part of an integrated system of inner and outer health and beauty, encompassing powders, pills, ointments, lotions, massage and ancient folklore—is unknown to most Westerners. How, when, where and why were these treatments developed? And, what is so special about them?
Through the pages of this book you'll learn about the closed world of ancient Javanese palaces where Indonesian jamu was perfected. You meet the healers and jamu makers whose skills have been passed from generation to generation and learn about their cures.
Advice is offered on where to find these age-old remedies, including formulae that can be made safely at home. The information here is for people who wish to find out more about Indonesian health and beauty, draw their own conclusions and even try jamu for themselves.
An integrated system of inner and outer health and beauty, Indonesian jamu has a 1,200-year-old history, yet little is known about it outside this diverse island nation. The first book to comprehensively explore the background, materials and application of this holistic approach, Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing is the culmination of ten years of research and more than 100 interviews with practitioners and producers—from housewives in kitchen apothecaries to CEOs of multinational corporations.
Its publication coincides with the increasing availability in the West of modern preparations of these time-honored herbal remedies. Encompassing medicine, massage, cosmetics and folklore, jamu is as applicable to today's lifestyles as it was in the rarefied world of the ancient Javanese palaces where it was perfected.
Foxy Frangipani Says:
I have to confess, it is very very difficult to find books on Jamu, in fact this is the only book on Google.
Good thing I got this when I was on holidays - I couldn't put this book down!
Its a great book, covering from the history of Jamu, the culture of the Indonesian, and some information on the plants used.
I now know why it is so hard to find information on the web - Jamu is a tightly kept secret, usually only passed down from mother to daughter. Beauty is an important features for Indonesian women - this is the most vital way to keep her man to herself... (Don't think this is so apparent nowadays, maybe 10 years back or so..)
If there are gripes it would be, alot of these topics are jumbled up together. You would read about history of Jamu, and then came in some true stories, and next thing introducing 1 particular plant and the benefits and uses would be on another chapter..
Hence if I am only interested in reading about plants and uses, I would probably need a highlighter to mark those pages, reading from start to end.
Other than that, this is a good read, and I would be re-reading this from time to time..
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