What is Jamu Juice?

There’s a hot new food-as-wellness beverage trending, have you heard of it? It’s called Jamu juice, and its proponents say it’s great for boosting energy, reducing inflammation, enhancing circulation, ramping up immunity and more. There are as many recipes for Jamu as there are people who consume it, and there are many people around the world who drink it every day.

‘Jamu,’ a traditional medicine from Indonesia, has been around for centuries. It’s usually offered in drink or smoothie form and is typically made of plant-based ingredients like seeds, roots, fruits, flowers and leaves combined with ingredients like royal jelly, honey, milk or even eggs. Jamu was recognized in 2019 as an official part of Indonesia’s cultural heritage by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. Jamu is a tradition, a practice and also a prescribed concoction consumed as medicine.

The Jamu juice trending these days is turmeric Jamu. You can’t miss its vibrant orange color and slightly murky texture. In fact, now that you know about it you may start seeing it around. People tend to drink it from the Mason jars they store it in. Turmeric Jamu’s main ingredients are fresh turmeric and ginger root, lemon or lime juice, coconut water and honey. You can riff on it from there, say, by adding a pinch of black pepper or jalapeno. For a vegan version, instead of honey you’d use maple syrup or agave (see the recipe below). Run it all through a juicer, cook it up, strain it and voila! You’ve got Jamu juice. It can be drunk cold or hot. 

The purported health benefits of Jamu juice are many. Let’s examine some of the most touted:

Anti-inflammatory. Possibly. Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. It contains curcumin, a polyphenol, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Mary-Eve Brown, a dietary expert at Johns Hopkins, tells us that some research indicates that people with osteoarthritis reported less pain when including turmeric in their diets. Ginger contains more than 400 compounds, some of which are thought to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Lowers cholesterol. Possibly. According to the Seattle Times, a review of controlled trials found that turmeric, specifically its active component curcumin, can lower total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.

Weight loss. Can’t hurt! This is definitely one of the most common benefits claimed by Jamu juice aficionados but evidence is scant. It’s a juice, so it has no fiber content to help with satiety; it’s not high in protein. However, we did find an article in the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine (NIH NLM) which said this about a study of the influence of curcumin (found in turmeric) on weight loss: Overall, we have found that curcumin intake among patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders was correlated with a significant reduction in BMI, weight, waist circumference… Other sites were far more anecdotal in their claims. 

Better digestion. Probably so. Ginger, which contains gingerol, helps with gastric motility (how fast food leaves the stomach and moves through the rest of the digestive tract). It also helps with nausea – women have used ginger for morning sickness for generations. Cancer patients also have found nausea relief from ginger.

Boosts immune system. A strong maybe! Some studies have shown that curcumin (in the turmeric) may help the immune system by modulating the activation of T cells (white blood cells that help protect the body from infection and may help fight cancer); B cells (a type of white blood cell that makes antibodies); macrophages (type of white blood cell that surrounds and kills microorganisms, removes dead cells, and stimulates the action of other immune system cells); neutrophils (a type of white blood cell that help your immune system fight infections and heal injuries); natural killer cells (type of immune cell that has granules (small particles) with enzymes that can kill tumor cells or cells infected with a virus); and dendritic cells (a type of antigen-presenting cell (APC) that play an essential role in the adaptive immune system).

Better energy. Maybe. Turmeric and ginger are each known to boost energy on their own. Combining them is widely anecdotally reported to reduce fatigue. 

Improved mental focus. Another strong maybe! Again from the NIHNLM: Recent studies demonstrated that ginger significantly enhances cognitive function in various cognitive disorders as well as in healthy brain. The studies they reference, though, were conducted on mice who were given dried ginger extract and improved their ability to recognize new/novel objects.   

Detoxes liver and/or kidneys.  Nope. The folks at MD Anderson say it best: Your body does not need a detox program. It is designed to detoxify itself. Further, the most important thing you can do to help your body rid itself of toxins is take care of your liver. Your kidneys also take care of themselves. They simply require fluids to do so. Maintain a healthy diet and drink plenty of water and your organs will thank you.

Ready to jump on the Jamu train? Here’s a recipe to get you started.

Adapted from Simply Recipes:

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup fresh turmeric, cleaned and chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh ginger, cleaned and chopped
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice, from 2-3 limes

1. Blend the turmeric and ginger

Into a blender add the turmeric, ginger, and water. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan set over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the mixture simmers for about 15 minutes.

2. Add lime juice and honey (or maple syrup or agave)

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the honey and lime juice. Stir to combine. 

3. Strain and refrigerate the mixture

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Then pour the strained mixture into a glass bottle or jar and refrigerate until chilled. 

4. Serve

Enjoy this drink warm, at room temperature or cold. You can adjust the drink by adding additional still or tonic water. Serve with or without ice.