An Ethnomedicinal Study; Joint Pain Therapy by Traditional Healers of Solo City

Abstract

Healers of Jamu- a Traditional Medicine in Solo City, Central Java, Indonesia apply several therapies for treatment of different diseases, including joint pain. The aim of the ethnomedicinal study is the identification of herbal formulations/ medicinal plants/method of preparation and their mode of administration for joint pain therapy in Jamu Medicine. An ethnomedicinal survey was conducted to collect data from traditional healers of Jamu Medicine regarding the practice of joint pain therapy. Data was collected from 25 healers through interview by snowball technique. The data obtained from the study revealed that, 25 herbal formulations /potions consisting of 32 types of medicinal plants from 19 families have been registered by traditional healers for joint pain therapy. Most commonly used plants for joint pain therapy have been identified as Piper retrofractum Vahl, Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Curcuma xanthorrhiza D.Dietr., Kaempferia galanga L., and Curcuma longa L. Traditional herbal formulations are prepared by different processing methods like washing, peeling, crushing, pounding then squeezing with warm water (infusion)/ boiling in water (decoction) to get their extract. These herbal formulations are administered orally or applied locally as massage on the affected joint. Through this study we will preserve the traditional knowledge of Jamu Medicine because the younger generation of traditional healers is no more interested in continuing it and their number is gradually decreasing. This valuable data will help the scientist to make new medicinal breakthroughs in the future especially to treat joint pain.