In this episode of the Live Life Podcast by MyLustre, we reconnect with Surya Kencana Umar, a man who has dedicated over two decades of his life to researching, practicing, and teaching about jamu—the ancient Javanese herbal wellness tradition and Indonesian herbal medicine.
The conversation, warm and layered with personal stories, highlights Surya’s journey from university days exploring Southeast Asian culture, to discovering his roots in Javanese heritage, and ultimately becoming one of the few voices reviving jamu in Singapore.
For anyone curious about how culture, natural remedies, and health can blend together, this podcast episode is a deep dive into the living tradition of jamu—not just as a recipe, but as a lifestyle, a heritage, and a healing philosophy.
At its simplest, jamu refers to traditional Indonesian herbal remedies made from roots, rhizomes, leaves, and natural ingredients like turmeric (kunyit), ginger, tamarind, and rice. But as Surya reminds us, jamu is far more than a drink—it is a holistic way of living close to nature.
“Jamu is not just recipes. Jamu is a lifestyle.” – Surya Kencana
This distinction between jamu as a commercial product and jamu as a cultural healing tradition runs throughout the conversation. While bottled turmeric shots or powdered sachets may carry the name jamu, the lived tradition involves understanding the soil, microclimate, timing of harvest, preparation methods, and even the spiritual wellness context in which the herbs are consumed.
Surya’s passion for jamu was sparked during his university years, but his true teacher was his late mother—a traditional healer who combined massage, herbal medicine, and spiritual practices.
She introduced him to rituals like mandi bunga (floral cleansing baths), the significance of the Javanese calendar (weton), and the use of jamu not only for recovery but for overall balance in daily life.
Growing up, he recalls drinking beras kencur—a mix of rice, aromatic ginger, raw egg yolk, and honey—before rugby games or military training. It boosted his energy, improved recovery, and left an impression that natural remedies and herbal drinks could be just as powerful as modern supplements.
This personal link to family tradition is what makes his advocacy for jamu so authentic. It isn’t nostalgia—it’s lived experience.
One of the most fascinating parts of the discussion is how Surya bridges ancestral wisdom with modern science.
He shares insights from training in Indonesia where doctors and pharmacists are actively researching jamu as part of integrative medicine. For example:
The way herbs are harvested matters. A turmeric rhizome should only be pulled when its leaves turn yellow, signaling maturity.
The method of preparation affects potency. Boiling ingredients after water reaches boiling point retains up to 90% of active compounds, compared to just 60–70% if boiled from the start.
Break cycles matter. Continuous daily jamu consumption should not exceed 10 weeks without rest, to allow the body to clear excess compounds.
This combination of traditional healing knowledge and laboratory science is what Surya sees as the future of jamu—not choosing between tradition and science, but letting both complement each other.
In Singapore, Surya notes that jamu nearly disappeared. By the 2010s, very few practitioners remained, and most young people associated it with the bitter trauma of childhood jamu cekok (forced spoonfuls of herbal paste).
Yet, he has seen hope. Institutions like the Malay Heritage Centre began inviting him to speak. Younger people are experimenting with jamu cafés and wellness lifestyle products. His own daughters are engaging with jamu in different ways—one through scientific research, another through performance art.
“My work now is about making jamu exciting again.”
The revival, he believes, will only be sustainable if jamu is appreciated across three pillars:
Health – promoting wellness through natural remedies.
Heritage – preserving cultural identity and traditional knowledge.
Tourism – sharing jamu as part of Singapore’s diverse cultural experience.
The conversation also touches on the challenges of scaling jamu into a modern business. With only about 8% of Singapore’s population consuming jamu according to studies, the market remains small.
Many commercial products rely on powdered extracts or single-ingredient formulations, but Surya stresses that the true strength of jamu lies in its synergy of multiple herbs. Just as turmeric’s sharpness is softened by tamarind, the healing comes from interactions between plants—not isolated compounds.
This perspective challenges the supplement and wellness industry to rethink how traditional knowledge can be preserved even in modern packaging.
The podcast isn’t just academic—it’s deeply personal. Surya shares:
How jamu sped up his recovery from sports injuries and boosted endurance during rugby matches.
How a simple jamu mix helped his wife heal from chickenpox scars.
His attempts to plant jamu herbs in Singapore, carrying 20 soil-covered rhizomes from Jogja (not knowing it was against regulations!).
His excitement when his daughters chose to continue his legacy—one as a biotech researcher, the other as a performance artist.
These stories remind us that jamu is not just medicine—it’s family, memory, and cultural identity.
Looking ahead, Surya envisions building a jamu ecosystem:
Upstream: Sustainable farming and cultivation of medicinal herbs.
Research: Labs testing phytochemicals, toxicology, and bioavailability.
Manufacturing: Safe processing and packaging of herbal products.
Education: Workshops, performance, and cultural sharing.
Community: Collectives like his Jamu Makers Collective to keep the tradition alive.
Singapore, he believes, has a unique opportunity as a convergence point of Malay, Javanese, and other Nusantara healing traditions, supported by a world-class bioscience industry.
If done right, jamu can stand alongside TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and Ayurveda as a respected global wellness tradition.
Jamu is more than recipes—it’s a holistic lifestyle that connects us to nature, ritual, and intuition.
Harvesting and preparation matter. The way plants are grown and boiled changes their healing properties.
Commercial products can’t replace tradition. The real power lies in the synergy between herbs, not isolated extracts.
The revival of jamu requires education. From workshops to performance art, awareness must expand beyond the Malay community.
Health, heritage, and tourism intersect. Jamu has the potential to enrich all three sectors in Singapore.
In an age where wellness is often reduced to quick fixes, this episode is a refreshing reminder that health is holistic. Jamu in Singapore embodies patience, connection to the environment, and respect for tradition—values that modern life often overlooks.
Whether you are Malay, Javanese, Singaporean, or simply curious about natural remedies and traditional herbal wellness, there is much to learn from the way jamu bridges science and soul.
This blog is just a glimpse into a conversation rich with stories, cultural insights, and practical wisdom.
👉 Catch the full episode on YouTube and Spotify – search for “Live Life Podcast by MyLustre.”
If you’ve ever been curious about jamu, Indonesian herbal medicine, or how traditional wellness can thrive in modern Singapore, this episode is for you.
