September 7, 2015
Story & Photography by Gail G. Collins
Indonesia’s traditional healing through plants is called jamu. Myth and closely-guarded recipes cloud what has been standard, holistic care since prehistory. The theory is based in the idea that if disease comes from nature, then the cure must come from there as well. Today’s pharmaceuticals are synthetic compounds based in medicinal plants, and slowly, research is confirming what generations have long believed: jamu heals the body. A U.S. 2011 study by Virginia Tech’s Department of Food Science and Technology confirmed the soursop tree’s preventative properties, related to breast cancer. Continue reading “Jamu—Herbal Healing”