T

he government is striving to integrate jamu (herbal medicine) into the national health system, which requires cross-sectoral cooperation between government institutions to create a comprehensive knowledge on jamu so that there is clear-cut standardization, as there is with modern medicine.

“We continuously try to include jamu in the national health system,” Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said after opening the third Conference on Traditional Medicine in ASEAN Countries in Surakarta, Central Java, on Monday.

Endang said the conference aimed at exchanging experiences on medicine and enhancing cooperation in research.

“Each ASEAN country is trying to integrate traditional herbal medicine into its health system,” she said.

The minister said in her speech that jamu was very popular among Indonesians. Based on a health study in 2010, about 49 percent of Indonesians aged 15 and above consume jamu. About 5 percent consume jamu every day and 45 percent irregularly.

Nearly 80 percent of Indonesian know about jamu, but jamu has not been included in the national health system due to unclear knowledge on it.

“The problem is that knowledge about jamu is passed down through generations and it has no school of its own. This has to be improved upon,” Endang said.

She further said that thorough knowledge about jamu was sorely needed to ensure its security, effectiveness and quality. There are two challenges in the consumption of jamu, namely patients who place all their trust in jamu and the quality of the healers treating patients with herbal medicine.

Evidence that the government is striving to integrate jamu into the national health system is the operation of 30 community health centers in Central Java and 14 hospitals that provide traditional medication services.

Additionally, the Health Ministry is also conducting a scientific study on four jamu products used to treat cholesterol, high blood sugar levels, hypertension and gout. It will later be followed by tests on jamu used to treat cancer. The tests are expected to enable professional media to promote jamu products in the formal health sector.

Dr. Hieng Punley from Cambodia said that 80 percent of Cambodians also consumed herbal medicine.

“My mission in this conference is to share our experiment in traditional medicine,” said Hieng, who is the director of the National Center of Traditional Medicine, Ministry of Health, Cambodia.