Jamu Gedong

On Friday I finally got up the nerve to ask for a photo of one of the Jamu Gedong ladies.

These industrious ladies carry a bamboo basket of several "Jamu" drinks on their back a circulate through their neighborhood every morning peddling their herbal drinks. I see this specific lady most everyday after dropping off the girls at school as her route must be in that neighborhood.

Another funny INDO experience:While shopping for some last-minute items for the Thanksmas meal, we walked through the toiletries section of the store. A lady approached me with a tray of various deodorant and asked me if I wanted to try one. "Waah!! Put on one of your deodorant right here in the store? No thanks." In hindsight, she probably just meant for me to try a sniff or two but with our language barrier, it didn't come across that way. :-)

P.S. Here's something I copied off the Internet:

In Java these ladies tend to sling the basket on their backs and carry it somewhat like a backpack. They are known as Jamu Gendong. The word gendong means to 'carry on the back'. Early each morning well before dawn the jamu gendong prepares several litres of three or four different of jamu in her home, having purchased the ingredients from a local market. After the conclusion of the preparation, jamu gendong pours the fluid into empty plastic Aqua bottles. These are placed into a large round bamboo basket. The jamu gendong then hoists the basket on to her back and sets off on her regular jamu route.The word jamu covers a vast range medicinal drinks for various diseases and are available in ready-to-drink form as well as in powder satchets or capsules. Renowned brands of jamu include Iboe, Sido Muncul, Jago, and Meneer. Some people say to avoid buying jamu from the street as the water quality is dubious, but I have not had any problems from it in over 30 years!

Here are a few of the most requested jamu:

Galian singset — weight reduction)

Beras kencur (from rice, sand ginger and brown sugar) — cough, fatigue

Temulawak (from curcuma) — for liver disease)

Gula asem (from tamarind and brown sugar) — rich in vitamin C

Kunyit asam (from tamarind, turmeric) — for skin care, canker sores

Of course there are many more varieties available and include assisting impotency, improving sexual prowess and for women, helping with the monthly cycle.