“Herbs are the friend of the physician and the pride of cooks”
- Charlemagne (r. c. 780–820 CE)
One of my most vivid and endearing memories of life in Indonesia is the sight of a lady trudging along a bustling main street or a quiet backstreet, known in local parlance as jalan tikus, or “mouse lane”.
Slightly built and neatly clad in a sarong and kebaya, she would bear a heavy bamboo basket, perhaps 25 kilograms, slung on her back, loaded with an assortment of bottles (including a well-used Coca-Cola bottle) filled with potions and concoctions of various hues ranging from gold or warm amber to a dark, mysterious earthy brown, for healing, invigoration or relaxation.
When a prospective customer hailed her, seeking a specific brew for a particular complaint or benefit, she would put the basket down. She unstopped the bottle of choice by removing the stopper made of leaves that were stuffed into the bottlenecks, adroitly blending the mixture and pouring out the required quantity of elixir into a small glass that had been previously inverted over the leaf stopper for transportation purposes – a very functional mobile health drinks stall.
Mbok Jamu Gendong is in business! Who, you might ask, is Mbok Jamu Gendong? “Mbok” is a Javanese moniker for a mother or mature lady.
“Gendong” is the Indonesian word for carrying something or someone on one’s back or hip. “Jamu” is not only the Indonesian term describing Indonesia’s traditional herbal medicine, but also an institution in itself, an intangible cultural heritage.
Hence, “Mbok Jamu Gendong” is a term used for ladies selling jamu – a herbal medicine derived from indigenous seeds, roots, bark, leaves, flowers, and fruits. The jamu tradition has existed since the days of the Hindu-Buddhist Kingdoms of Java, in power from the 8th century to around the 16th century CE.
When did humans discover the healing power of plants? Perhaps the relationship between people and plants stemmed from instinct, or perhaps people had observed animals consume certain plants that provided relief from discomfort. A study of the archaeological site of the Sidrón Cave in the Asturias region of northwest Spain, dated over 50,000 years ago, revealed that the native Neanderthals consumed yarrow and chamomile. Both medicinal plants were not only bitter but had no nutritional value – certainly a form of self-medication.
How long have healing plants been in existence? Excavated in 1983, the neolithic Nahal Hemar Cave (6,000 BCE) near the Dead Sea in Israel yielded, amongst other discoveries, seeds of the coriander plant, one of the oldest known herbs and mentioned in Exodus 16:31 in the Bible’s Old Testament. It was, and still is, used during the Passover Celebration as a “spring green”.
“Gendong” is the Indonesian word for carrying something or someone on one’s back or hip. “Jamu” is not only the Indonesian term describing Indonesia’s traditional herbal medicine, but also an institution in itself, an intangible cultural heritage
CORIANDER
Middle East
HISTORY: Coriander was placed in King Tutankhamen’s tomb for his use in the afterlife. The Babylonians enjoyed utilising coriander in their cuisine, recording recipes on their cuneiform tablets. A clay tablet of Babylonian King Merodach-Baladan II (r. 722–710 BCE) listed plants grown in his royal garden, including coriander. Essential oils, including oil from coriander, were produced by the ancient Persians, who once controlled the perfume trade. And what of Charlemagne? His Capitularies included a decree listing plants grown on this keen gardener’s royal estates; among them was coriander. Whether grown wild or domestically sown, coriander had cast its spell on the Anatolian region, the Levant, Egypt, Persia, and Greece. Ultimately, the Romans brought it from Egypt into southern Europe, using it as a preservative and flavouring.
Ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine recognises coriander for its medicinal properties in relieving flatulence, spasms, and other digestive issues
German anthropologist Berthold Laufer suggests that one of the Chinese names for coriander, ho sui, could be a transcription of one form of the Persian name for coriander, known as koswi. Ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine recognises coriander for its medicinal properties in relieving flatulence, spasms, and other digestive issues. Early Sanskrit writings mention coriander, and according to Laufer, the Sanskrit word for coriander, kustumburu, is of Iranian origin and probably arrived in India in a similar fashion to how it entered China, possibly around the 5th century CE.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) regards the coriander plant as “warming”, helping to rid the body of disease in, the vital life force flowing through the body.
