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JUARA Skincare
JUARA Skincare

The Indonesian Herbal Healing Tradition

Jamu Lifestyle

A pursuit of wellness with the mindset of joy. Winner of the 2023 International Gourmand Book Award.

Metta Murdaya opens the centuries-old Indonesian tradition of jamu, with its herbal tonics, healing cuisine, and beauty rituals, to a world that needs it more than ever. (Details and Photos below)

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Jamu Lifestyle book cover

What jamu is, and why it endures

Jamu is the herbal medicine and wellness tradition Indonesians have used for centuries to keep body, mind, and spirit flourishing. It includes herbal-infused cuisine, a tonic also called jamu, and nutritional supplements.

Best of all, in the jamu tradition joy, community engagement, and beauty are considered essential to wellness. Beauty rituals, gatherings, and sensory engagement are all part of self-care, practiced regularly, not doled out occasionally as earned luxuries.

Indonesia is a nation of 17,000 islands, the historic hub of the spice trade and the cradle of jamu. For over a millennium its secrets passed down through healer families; in the 20th century they became more widely available.

Today Jamu Lifestyle: Indonesian Herbal Wellness Tradition shares them with the world: recipes, tips, stunning photographs, and a primer on the jamu philosophy.

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Photographs by Martin Westlake

Living a Jamu Lifestyle

Three practices at the heart of the tradition

01

Jamu as Medicine

Indonesians take their time with jamu, savoring its sights, smells, and tastes. Pleasure and mindfulness are integral to wellness. The book includes recipes for classic jamu and techniques for customizing your own.

02

Eating the Jamu Way

Food isn't just fuel. It connects the community, invites fun, and embraces the senses. The herbs and spices of jamu sit at the heart of Indonesian cuisine, with recipes and tips for keeping a jamu pantry.

03

Beauty is Wellness

Rituals that once pampered royalty, alongside intense healing work from energy and bodywork healers: learn to use herbs, spices, and natural ingredients for a soothing footbath, a body scrub, a nourishing mask.

Jamu footbath ritual

“Having a positive, life-embracing mindset in addition to good physical health increases our resilience and ability to thrive in challenging situations by allowing us to experience joy and connection at any moment, good or bad.

This point is central to living a jamu lifestyle.”

Metta Murdaya
Metta Murdaya

About the Author

Metta Murdaya

Metta Murdaya is the founder of JUARA, an award-winning skincare and wellness line inspired by the Indonesian jamu tradition. Her products have earned the Eco Beauty award from Byrdie magazine and Best Product awards from Shape magazine, Women's Health, Cleo, and more. Metta was featured in GlobeAsia magazine as one of the “99 Most Powerful Women,” and she received a Shine On award from Good Housekeeping magazine.

Born in Indonesia, Metta grew up in San Francisco, going back and forth each year from the age of six. Raised with the natural lifestyle and herbal remedies of Southeast Asia as well as the modern, cosmopolitan living of the West, Metta is a native in both worlds, able to blend elements of each culture to craft a life of health and purpose. She earned bachelor's degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, in cognitive science and architecture, and a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University.

Metta is passionate about wellness, education, and personal growth. She actively serves on the board of several organizations committed to empowering others: Solve Education, an education technology nonprofit that helps bring learning to children around the globe who don't have access to school; SEALA (Southeast Asian Leadership Academy), a purpose-centric leadership development program; and Mentari USA, an organization that helps human trafficking survivors actively reintegrate into society.

She continues her bi-global life today between New York and Jakarta, enjoying connecting with people over herbal concoctions and a good cup of pour-over coffee.

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Indonesian Herbal Wellness Tradition

Bring the tradition home

Recipes, rituals, and the philosophy behind them, photographed across the islands where jamu began.

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