Jamu Immune Booster

The Indonesian Jamu Immune Booster drink is truly a physical and mental wellness ritual that is spreading all over the world. For the past few years we have seen an increasing interest in Ayurvedic medicine, based on the use of natural ingredients to bring numerous benefits to the body. A nice glass of Jamu helps prevent disease by strengthening the immune system. There are several recipes concerning this exotic drink, all with more or less similar ingredients. The most common ingredients used in the preparation of Jamu are cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and lime. All ingredients with anti-inflammatory and mineral-rich properties.

Ingredients

• Juice of one lime
• 50g Turmeric root
• 100g tamarind paste with seeds
• 50g Ginger
• 1L Filtered water (and/or ice cubes)
• Brown sugar, coconut/Agave sugar (optional)
• A pinch of cinnamon
• Honey 100gr

How to prepare

Peel and cut turmeric root, ginger and add tamarind paste. Put everything in a blender with water with a sprinkling of cinnamon. If you make it to drink fresh at the moment, replace some of the water with ice cubes. Once blended and a thick juice is obtained, strain it through a very fine strainer or nut-milk bag. We prefer it raw, freshly made, but you can also heat it over low heat for about 10 minutes to make it more concentrated, to increase the bioavailability of curcumin and the shelf life.

Be sure not to overcook if you do not want to lose the healing effects of this precious root. If the taste seems too bitter you can add a few teaspoons of sweetener to taste. After warming it you can make a second filtration and store it in the refrigerator for a few days.

Please note

If you drink Jamu raw without heating it another good idea to increase the bioavailability of curcumin is to add a sprinkling of black pepper. It is not included in the original recipe (which is heated instead). Another important note…turmeric is also used as a dye and actually dyes any surface it comes in contact with yellow! Be careful of your clothes and hands!