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Not all herbal drinks are healthy: Experts
Some Indonesians rely on jamu (traditional herbal drink) to maintain their wellness. However, jamu is not to be used as medicine or to treat or prevent illness, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,
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Drinking jamu alone will not protect the body from illness, as one must also practice good hygiene, exercise routinely, consume a balanced diet, get enough rest and adhere to physical distancing standards. (shutterstock.com/Alp Aksoy/File)
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ome Indonesians rely on jamu (traditional herbal drink) to maintain their wellness. However, jamu is not to be used as medicine or to treat or prevent illness, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts have said.
“Jamu is not for everyone,” Raissa Edwina, a nutritionist from the Metropolitan Medical Center (MMC) in South Jakarta, told kompas.com.
“Jamu can cause allergic reactions or problems in blood coagulation for certain people.”
It is also important to know what is put inside drinks that are marketed as healthy. Many variations of jamu, for example, are full of large amounts of sugar, which increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Read also: Panic hoarding of herbs, medicinal plants amid virus scare takes toll on 'jamu' vendors
Raissa said herbal drinks should be made at home or purchased from trusted sources to ensure that they are not full of artificial ingredients.
Sports nutritionist Emilia Achmadi said that, while herbal drinks could be used as a supplement to strengthen the immune system, they were not intended for the treatment of COVID-19.
“The public needs to know it has not been clinically proven that herbal [drinks] can cure a disease,” Emilia said.
Drinking jamu alone will not protect the body from illness, as one must also practice good hygiene, exercise routinely, consume a balanced diet, get enough rest and adhere to physical distancing standards. (wir/wng)
