Safe Steps to Make Household-Scale Jamu

Jamu has been a part of Indonesian society for thousands of years. Jamu become health herbs inherited from our ancestors for generations. Jamu’s efficacy has been empirically proven, makes it has its own special place in the hearts of the community. Mild diseases that are often a family complaint are often treated with home-made jamu.

Some families have a habit of storing jamu ingredients for use at any time if they need jamu compounds or steeping jamu. But it should be remembered, boiling and processing herbs at home should not be done carelessly, so that you get optimal benefits.

How to safely make herbal medicine at home? Read the following. 

Tools and materials

Make sure that the tools and materials for jamu have been washed thoroughly, so that they are free from germs, bacteria, and dirt. The tools used for boiling should be made of stainless materials, pottery, or enamel. Avoid using boiling tools made of iron or aluminum, because it allows the presence of unneeded dissolved metal substances in the decoction of jamu.

Sorting

Sort the material that will be processed into jamu. Make sure that the materials are clean from dirt such as soil, gravel, damaged or rotten materials, and so on.

Cleaning

Wash the jamu ingredients with clean running water. Use a soft brush to clean materials that are usually attached to dirt, such as rhizome types. Avoid cleaning jamu ingredients with chemicals such as soap.

Draining

Do the draining to remove the rest of the washing water.

Chopping

Chop jamu material with a sharp knife made of stainless metal. The purpose of this chopping is to provide more optimal results when boiled.

Boiling

To boil jamu ingredients, use a container made of stainless metal or pottery and ceramics. Jamu with dry or fresh simplisia ingredients, should be boiled with clean water. Boil the ingredients at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius for 15-50 minutes. For dry powder, you can brew in a glass of boiling water for 5 minutes.

Consumption and Storage

The resulted Jamu should be filtered and drunk in warm conditions. If you want to store, store the jamu in the appropriate food grade container. Avoid storing jamu decoction with used bottles. Make sure the jamu are stored in a cool temperature and not stored for too long. If jamu are stored, make sure there are no organoleptic changes (smell, taste, color) before you consume it. 

Self-hygiene

In addition to ensuring the materials, tools, and processing of jamu, one thing that should not be forgotten is the personal hygiene of the jamu maker. Make sure that the you have clean body, clothing, and environment for making the jamu.