Even the most fleeting of visits to Indonesia will show that wisdom never lies far from reach. Such insight runs deep in the country’s earth and soaks in its waters, and it takes many forms that would require tome upon tome to catalogue entirely.
A glance at each point of the compass reveals to the receptive viewer a whole world of practices without end or barrier, some borne in words or carried on the currents of the air. And each sensation conveys plain truth. No one could deny that those who commune with spirits or inter the bodies of dead infants in trees act in ways anything other than natural.
The reader with experience of Indonesia will have their own list of things they did not expect to find. Some speak of possession by animals, others of ghostly encounters in rainforests. Tales even tell of strangers with such levels of perception that they know a person’s name without ever having met them.
And thus grows an unerring feeling. For all ambition to understand the place, many outsiders can expect not very much in the way of answers. Perhaps this is for the best. Surface-level intrigue piques the soul and charges the mind but leaves much unsaid. Instead, the refreshed visitor reaffirms their place in the grand scheme of things. They know that many things go unseen and unbidden, and they can go their way in blissful ignorance.
In short, people can expect more than one solution to areas of concern. Take healthcare in Indonesia. Here, medication, hospitals and other such trappings remain out of many people’s grasp.
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It is true that the Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional programme offers free healthcare to all Indonesian citizens. But for those in out-of-the-way places, such facilities may prove too tricky to reach. They are not viable options.
And so, people might choose instead to self-treat. At such times, they turn to herbal and natural medicines.
Luckily, the archipelago, with its fertile soil and inviting climate where rain and sun take equal billing, plays host to much flora and fauna. One such feature is the eucalyptus tree. This tree grows well in Indonesia and has many invigorating, health-giving qualities.
Common places
These quick-growing trees, part of the guava, or Myrtaceae, group, thrive in Indonesia. They are strong and they are stout. The eucalyptus can grow up to 40 metres high in hot, dry ground and also flooded places. Its long roots easily adapt to their environment. Thus, the tree 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 and Papua, and further afield.
One can identify the eucalyptus by its thick, weathered skin. This white skin peels often, much the same as a snake shedding its skin. It gives the impression of ongoing rejuvenation. Atop the trees and on their branches can be found the cup-shaped eucalyptus flowers. The seed-bearing fruit, round and hollow, ranges from dark red to grey to white, age depending.
In Malaysia, these trees go by the name gălam, while in Maluku, people know them as bajule, sakelan, kilam, elan and ilan. Regardless of the name, all agree that the eucalyptus tree contains lignin, melaleucin and other essential compounds used for medicinal purposes.
Valuable resource
The most renowned extraction from the tree is an oil that some call cajuput. Others know it 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 that replicates the eucalyptus’ fragrance thanks to its clean, fruity scent.
It is a malleable creature, minyak kayu putih, and many households in Indonesia will have a supply of it to combat all kinds of aches and pains. As such, the oil has become an integral part of everyday life. Its distillation from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree is widespread.
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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 procession into the finished kayu putih.
Wide treatments
People soon came to recognise the health-giving qualities of kayu putih. Not least the Dutch colonisers. They exported the oil to Europe from the spice islands of Maluku in the eighteenth century, convinced, correctly, that it could treat all kinds of ills.
Technically, kayu putih works because of a counterirritant called cineole, which opens the pores. It also imbues the oil with anti-septic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-cancer qualities. An application can stave off the effects of cholera, psoriasis, scabies, tetanus, typhoid and other infections, at least until more comprehensive aid is found.
But romantically, people know kayu putih as a miracle cure. By widening the pores of the skin, the oil improves blood circulation and thus warms the body, which seems to glow and gives the impression of somehow gilding the wearer.
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 a burden no more. The oil opens congested passages, and so too does it alleviate coughs and soothe respiratory troubles.
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In warming up the body, the oil helps the organs function. It also stimulates the sweat glands so they can remove harmful toxins or cool down the body in the event that fever takes hold. Given kayu putih’s analgesic nature, it eases pain without affecting consciousness, meaning the wearer can still function. Those who suffer from tooth pain or headaches will find that a dose of kayu putih will ease the hurt, and give them more time to seek suitable help.
The pain of arthritis, aching joints and muscle cramps can also lessen as the oil reduces inflammation. Myths tell that the heads of the hydra are many. It comes as no surprise to learn that kayu putih also works as a carminative that reduces flatulence and gas.
Insects, too, will find themselves repelled by the oil. Thus does the likelihood of stings lessen, allowing those outsiders sensitive to the attention of winged beasts to move freely without fear of stings and 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 things. [Editor: It goes without saying – at any time apart from now, obviously – that the traveller should have insurance, up-to-date jabs and suitable medication for any trip they make.]
Curing Many Ills
All of these benefits come from a single source: kayu putih. A simple thing that eases life muchly and a staple in the archipelago. Lucky is the newcomer who stumbles upon this oil, for they will find that the minor stresses of holidaymaking, work, or otherwise being in Indonesia fade away: the itches are less prevalent, and the threats of illness and injury staved off. Only in countless other ways can life find a way to inconvenience the wearer of kayu putih.
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 it has that most magical of qualities: time travel. Within the oil exists a transformative element that, when rubbed on the skin and mixed with air, serves to take the wearer, removed from Indonesia, on a trip through time and space.
Like the clove scent that brings to mind the kretek cigarettes of Kudus, Malang, Surabaya and beyond, or the smell of frying oil that places the beholder in one of countless warungs, where gorengs pisang, nasi and -an make their home amongst many other treats, kayu putih can move a person body and soul to another place.
The lucky voyager finds themselves back in their bodies somewhere on the archipelago. There, 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.
[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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