Kayu Putih: The Healing Power of Indonesia’s Miracle Oil
There is much stimulation in Indonesia. It is a place that toys with the senses. Subtle things often leave the strongest impression, even when they hide in plain sight. Take those people, found in every corner of the archipelago, whose skin seems to glisten and glow. Perhaps they are devotees of kayu putih, an oil that some dub a miracle, and others call medicine.
The reader who has spent time in Indonesia will have a list of things they did not expect to find there. Some speak of possession by animals, others of ghostly presences in rainforests. Tales even tell of strangers with such insight that they know a person’s name without having met them.
In other words, things work, but not in a way people might think. There are things that a person may glimpse but stay just out of reach. And this divide does not just extend to the abstract, but very real things, too.
Healthcare access in Indonesia
In Indonesia, not everyone has easy access to medication, doctors and hospitals. Densely populated regions like Bali and Java mean an equal density of healthcare options. Research suggests that in these places, upwards of 90% of people can reach a hospital. But this is not true for all patients. Head to Maluku or Papua, for instance, and the figure falls closer to 25%.
Like many places, Indonesia suffers from a lack of doctors and hospital beds. And while the Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN) insurance system offers universal health coverage, private treatment can still cost far too much for those who have to go down that route. Public Primary Health Centres, or PHCs, often stock top-priority medicines like cardiovascular drugs and diabetes care. But these centres do not always stock essential treatments, such as coagulants, antibiotics or analgesics.
Thus, while all Indonesians can receive free healthcare, for those in out-of-the-way places, such facilities may prove too tricky to reach. They are not viable options. And so, people choose to self-treat with herbal and natural cures. Luckily, this solution is easier to find.
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A natural answer: eucalyptus trees
Indonesia has fertile soil and a climate that gives equal space to rain and sun. These conditions give rise to much flora and fauna. Some, like the eucalyptus tree, have many vital, health-giving qualities.
These quick-growing trees, strong and stout, form part of the guava, or Myrtaceae, group. Such trees thrive in Indonesia. They can grow up to 40 metres high in hot, dry ground and also in flooded places, and have long roots that easily adapt to their surroundings. Thus, the eucalyptus endures near mangrove forests, in sandy or swampy soil, and far above sea level. Visitors report their presence in Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, Sulawesi, Papua and further afield.
An observer can tell the eucalyptus by its thick, weathered bark. This outer layer peels often, much like a snake shedding its skin. The process gives the impression of ongoing renewal. Meanwhile, cup-shaped eucalyptus flowers grow atop the trees and on their branches. The seed-bearing fruit, round and hollow, ranges from dark red to grey to white, depending on its age.
In Malaysia, these trees go by the name gălam, while in Maluku, people call them bajule, sakelan, kilam, elan and ilan. Regardless of the name, though, all agree on one thing. Namely, the eucalyptus tree contains lignin, melaleuca, and other key compounds used in medicine.
What is cajuput oil, or kayu putih?
The most renowned extraction from the tree is cajuput oil. Many people know this oil as minyak kayu putih. Kayu putih, which translates to ‘white wood’, takes its name from the tree’s trunk. It is a clear essential oil with a clean, fruity scent that replicates the fragrance of the eucalyptus.
Kayu putih is a malleable creature. It is an analgesic, meaning it provides pain relief, and it works by increasing blood circulation to the affected areas, resulting in a calming, warming sensation. Many households in Indonesia will have a supply of the oil, distilled from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree, to combat aches of all types, joint pains and digestive woes. As such, kayu putih has become an integral part of everyday life.
In short, then, kayu putih is a versatile essential oil and a home remedy for many people in Indonesia. Much debate has focused just on how well it could treat a shattered limb, a gaping wound or a mental health disorder. The oil does, however, buttress the body in other ways. Thanks to its antiseptic, counterirritant properties, kayu putih takes the irritation caused by minor wounds, scratches and itches and soothes them, until they trouble the mind no more.
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How is kayu putih made?
First, the crushed leaves are boiled in a vat over an open fire after fermenting for a night. The vapour is then steamed and distilled into the pungent, flammable oil. The resulting odour falls somewhere between turpentine, eucalyptus and camphor. A typical processing, three times daily for four hours, can produce up to 17 pounds of extract. This will then go to the forestry department for its final processing into the finished kayu putih.
How does kayu putih work?
Kayu putih is rubbed into the skin. It didn’t take long for people to recognise the health-giving qualities of kayu putih. Dutch colonisers, for instance, exported the oil to Europe from the spice islands of Maluku in the eighteenth century. They saw that kayu putih could treat all kinds of ills.
Technically, kayu putih works due to a counterirritant called cineole. Cineole opens the pores and gives the oil anti-septic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-cancer qualities. Those who suffer from cholera, psoriasis, scabies, tetanus, typhoid and other infections will find that a dose of the oil eases their pain. It might not prove to be a total solution, and most likely, the sufferer will require further medical aid, or perhaps the soothing words and balms of a healer. But it will sand down the rougher edges of discomfort in the meantime.
Romantically, people know kayu putih as a miracle cure. By widening the pores of the skin, the oil improves blood circulation and warms the body, which seems to glow. It is easy to tell when a person wears kayu putih because their gilded skin throbs and shines as though powered by a rich vein of gold.
Ease of suffering
And so the oil, rubbed onto the skin, works its way into the system, where it has its way with all manner of harmful things. Stuffed airways become less of a burden. The oil opens congested passages, and it soothes coughs and respiratory troubles.
In warming up the body, the oil helps the organs function. It also stimulates the sweat glands to remove harmful toxins or cool the body if a fever takes hold. Given kayu putih’s analgesic nature, which means it relieves pain without affecting consciousness, the wearer can still function, albeit in a more pain-ridden state. Those who suffer from tooth pain or headaches will find that a dose of kayu putih will ease the hurtful, foul throb and give them more time to seek suitable help.
Kayu putih also reduces inflammation, meaning it fights conditions that involve swelling, such as arthritis, aching joints and muscle cramps. Myths tell that the heads of the hydra are many. It comes as no surprise, then, to learn that kayu putih, the snake-headed oil, also works as a carminative and can ease the effects of flatulence and gas.
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Insect repellent
Insects, ants, termites and many other kinds of creeping, crawling things will find themselves repelled by the oil, and their bites will have less potency. Kayu putih is insecticidal and drives off creatures such as mosquitoes. We like to think that kayu putih renders its wearer invisible, and in a way it probably does, but the suspicion remains that the oil deters creatures because of its odour, rather than making something seem like it isn’t there. And because the oil is natural, it does not harm the creatures it seeks to repel, in the same way that DEET-based products can.
In 2008, EitM, on holiday in Cherating, Malaysia, received a very long and very pompous, but very worthwhile, lecture about the cruelty of DEET. DEET, we were told by a lady with skin so opaque you could see the veins and who, really, seemed very ill herself, can alter the DNA of the creatures it resists. Genetically altering an entire species just to have a slightly less itchy time on the beach seemed like far too high a price to pay for convenience. Lesson learned: natural products, good; synthetic products, less so.
And so, kayu putih is a natural way to avert the threat of insects and lessen the likelihood of stings. Those outsiders sensitive to the attention of winged beasts can move freely without the fear of venomous itching. Myriad other problems may await these folk in Indonesia, but they don’t have to worry so much about dengue and other such threats.
Time travel
It is not performative, it does not make a noise, it has no costume or make-up. Kayu putih brings with it no clout, which means, for some people, no value. But the oil does have that most magical of qualities: time travel.
Within kayu putih exists a transformative element that, when rubbed on the skin and mixed with air, takes the wearer on a trip through time and space. Soon enough, they come to. And they are back in Indonesia.
Kayu putih works like the other subliminal scents of the archipelago. Similar to the smells and crackle of burning cloves that bring to mind the kretek cigarettes of Kudus, Malang, Surabaya and beyond, or the smell of frying that places the beholder in a warung, where gorengs pisang and nasi make their home amongst many other treats, kayu putih, by its scent alone, can move a person, body and soul, to another place. The aroma prompts an association, which creates an image and then a daydream. And during this vision, all the stimulation felt by the wearer of kayu putih comes vividly back to life.
The lucky voyager finds themselves somewhere on the archipelago. Or more concretely, Indonesia has come to the voyager in a series of flashbacks. In some abstract way beyond the reach of words, they can relive their time there over and over. That is, until the bottle runs out, and the illusion fades forever.
When to use kayu putih
Kayu putih can provide blessed relief for those who wish to:
- Inhale it in aromatherapy to stave off colds and cough, and remove mucus
- Warm the body
- Soothe stomach aches
- Relieve flatulence
- Ease headaches
- Treat insect bites, skin infections/itchy skin, colds and respiratory issues
- Reduce muscle/joint pain
- Probably other things we have never encountered
Where to find kayu putih
In the offline, physical world, look for places that sell health products and things for day-to-day living. The supermarkets of Carrefour and Hypermart offer rich pickings, as do pharmacies like Kimia Farma, Century and Guardian. Any apotek worth its salt will stock kayu putih.
But also, o reader, do not discount Indomaret and Alfamart. These places, the most numerous of all, will stock kayu putih, alongside wet wipes, baby powder and deodorant. Kayu putih is sometimes stocked next to or behind the counter in such stores, meaning customers have to ask for it. We haven’t yet worked out if that’s due to high demand, an age limit, or the oil somehow posing a threat to the general public.
Well-known kayu putih brands
Cap Lang, with its stern bird motif, green-tinged bottle and hexagonal base, creates the impression of a stately chess piece. This is the most common brand in convenience stores. It feels Cap Lang, perhaps more than any other brand, has assimilated the most into the wider public consciousness.
The same can be said, though, for Konicare. This brand favours a more rounded bottle and friendlier shades of yellow and purple, creating a sense of trust and warmth. It also smells a bit stronger, too.
My Baby, meanwhile, is marketed towards children. But despite the name, comfort is timeless, and it’s nice to feel the same kind of protection from malaria and other airborne diseases as babies enjoy. Talcum powder’s technically for kids, but we haven’t met an adult hiker yet who hasn’t sworn by how well talc averts the pain and awkwardness of chafing. In the interest of fairness, we’ve never met a baby hiker, so we can’t compare. The same principle applies to My Baby kayu putih: it works just as well for adults as it does for kids.
The effects of kayu putih, it should be noted, are pretty much the same, regardless of brand or age of wearer: glowing skin, the deflection of insects and a general sense of well-being.
Bottles typically come in 30ml, 60ml, 120ml and 210 ml sizes and cost between 16,000 IDR [30ml] and 99,000 IDR [210 ml]. Maybe a bit more or less.
Kayu putih: miracle or medicine?
It’s subjective, really, isn’t it? If you’re of the mindset that all of nature is a miracle that signifies the beauty of creation, then kayu putih probably is a miracle. After all, the oil derives from plant materials. As such, it’s a natural product. And if it’s a natural product, it’s part of the miracle of nature.
Others might take a more secular, holistic view. They may well point out that kayu putih heals its wearers. It has medical applications, and that’s why people use it. In short, the oil’s value is medical based on evidence and realistic observations of how it works.
Either way, it’s miraculous that something so useful with so many medical benefits is readily available. Better still, it’s not locked behind the paywall of private healthcare. And that, we feel, is something deserving of applause.
Continue reading: EitM’s health series
[Editor: Can anyone tell where the story’s main image was taken? Clue: it’s a city in Central Java. Bonus points if anyone knows what brand of cigarettes the bottle is perched upon.]
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