Traditional Malay Remedies: Natural Ingredients Around You
Growing up, many of us would have taken some form of traditional remedies, such as lemon and honey mixtures, to resolve ailments like coughs and colds. Join Senior Librarian Juffri Supa’at as he explores some remedies using natural ingredients.
It’s not uncommon for children to get hurt when exploring the world around them. Generations of parents and caregivers have used common ingredients to heal minor illnesses or injuries. Such remedies are not new and, in fact, have been part of local healing practices for centuries.
Such herbal concoctions, also known as jamu in Malay, are made up of herbs and spices. For instance, natural foods such as lemon, honey and calamansi lime are used to alleviate the symptoms of the common cold. Even today, many Malays in the archipelago still practise concocting health and beauty remedies by mixing herbs, spices, roots, and fruits to boost health and youthfulness.
Raw honey (honey that has not been pasteurised) has historically been known to heal wounds, aid digestion, and soothe a sore throat. Aside from being delicious, raw honey is also sometimes used to treat digestive issues such as diarrhea, though research to show its efficacy is limited.¹
Calamansi lime, which is readily available in Southeast Asia, has been used in remedies for radang amandel (tonsilitis), malaria, influenza and constipation.² It contains vitamin C, which could be a part of the reason it is used remedies for malaria, influenza, constipation and heatiness (2002).³
Herbs and spices are integral to cooking for many cuisines. They not only add flavour, but contain essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. They have also been used for their medicinal properties, distilled into tinctures or drinks and mixtures.
Bunga Kantan is a plant used in traditional remedies. It is also known as torch ginger, red ginger lily, torch lily, and kecombrang. The pleasant fragrance and tangy flavour of its petals, for example, are used to enhance dishes such as laksa, asam pedas and tom yam soup. But that is not all. This member of the ginger family is also known to reduce inflammation and relieve migraines and headaches. It is also used to cure white spots when applied to the infected skin.⁴
Garlic is another common cooking ingredient. It grows in many parts of the world and is a staple of many cuisines due to its strong smell and delicious taste. Did you know that garlic has also been prescribed to treat a variety of medical conditions? It has many health benefits such as boosting immunity against the common cold and to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It can be eaten raw or mixed as jamu with other herbs.⁵
These are just some of the examples of plants, vegetables, herbs and fruits that are easily available and used as remedies. Here are some simple remedies you can make using common ingredients that may help you on your road to better health.
Basil (Selasih)⁶
For: Headache or Heatiness
Take 7 basil leaves and 2 glasses of water.
Boil the leaves in the water, reduce the volume into one glass and filter the water.
Drink one glass of the water a day.
Asam (Tamarindus Indica L)⁷
Asam, or tamarind, has been used to aid digestion and blood circulation. It contains flavonoids that can function as an analgesic. Its anti-inflammatory properties can help in the healing of minor cuts and ulcers.
Chamomile⁸
Chamomile can help relax the body, calming emotions and easing insomnia. You can try by drinking a cup of chamomile tea before you sleep.
For more about traditional Malay remedies and recipes, you can check out the following resources at the National Library:
1. Agus Kardinan, Selasih: Tanaman Keramat Multimanfaat (Jakarta: Agromedia Pustaka, 2003)
2. Akmal Hj M Zain, Perubatan Semula Jadi Dari Herba (Selangor: Crescent News, 2012)
3. Hafiz Zainuddin, Perdukunan Melayu dan Biografi Ringkas Ali Zulfikar (Ipoh: Hafiz Zainuddin, 2020)
4. Herti Maryani, Lusi Kristiana, Syahaneem Sharbani, Tumbuhan Herba Untuk Mengatasi Influenza (Kuala Lumpur: Synergy Media Books, 2006)
5. Khasiat Tumbuhan Herba (Selangor: PCT, 2002)
6. Koh Hwee Ling, Chua Tung Kian and Tan Chay Hoon, A Guide to Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated, Scientific and Medicinal Approach (Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2009)
7. Muhamad Zakaria and Mustafa Ali Mohd, Traditional Malay Medicinal Plants (Kuala Lumpur: Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia, 2010)
8. Winkanda Satria Putra, Kitab Herbal Nusantara: Kumpulan Resep & Ramuan Tanaman Obat Untuk Berbagai Gangguan Keseh Atan (Yogyakarta: Katahati, 2015)
9. Wee Yeow Chin, A Guide to Medicinal Plants (Singapore: Singapore Science Centre, 1992)
10. Wee Yeow Chin, Plants that Heal, Thrill and Kill (Singapore: SNP Reference, 2005)
Juffri Supa’at is a Senior Librarian at the National Library.
[1] Hafiz Zainuddin, Perdukunan Melayu dan Biografi Ringkas Ali Zulfikar (Ipoh: Hafiz Zainuddin, 2020), 38.
[2] Winkanda Satria Putra, Kitab Herbal Nusantara: Kumpulan Resep & Ramuan Tanaman Obat Untuk Berbagai Gangguan Keseh Atan (Yogyakarta: Katahati, 2015), 135–6.
[3] Khasiat Tumbuhan Herba (Selangor: PCT, 2002), 24–5.
[4] Khasiat Tumbuhan Herba (Selangor: PCT, 2002), 24–5.
[5] Khasiat Tumbuhan Herba (Selangor: PCT, 2002), 24–5.
[6] Agus Kardinan, Selasih: Tanaman Keramat Multimanfaat (Jakarta: Agromedia Pustaka, 2003), 29.
[7] Herti Maryani, Lusi Kristiana, Syahaneem Sharbani, Tumbuhan Herba Untuk Mengatasi Influenza (Kuala Lumpur: Synergy Media Books, 2006), 17.
[8] Akmal Hj M Zain, Perubatan Semula Jadi Dari Herba (Selangor: Crescent News, 2012), 161.
