Indonesia rich in spices such as cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, etc. Also includes rich in rhizomes, such as ginger, curcuma, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, etc. Since at the past, various rhizomes have been used in many Indonesian dishes as well as herbal drinks, even for beauty treatments. And in modern, it has also been developed and widely used for the instant food / beverage industry, traditional medicine industry, as well as the cosmetics industry.

Herbal rhizomes in Indonesia are also called "Jamu Empon-empon" including Kunyit Asam (made from a mixture of turmeric and tamarind), Beras Kencur (a herbal drink made from white rice and Kaempfeira Galanga), Kunir Madu (made from turmeric and honey, usually used for reduce heat in children) etc. "Jamu" in my country is synonymous with the icon of women who dress in traditional "kebaya" and sell it by going around in a sling. But in the industrial era 4.0, "Jamu" already has outlets that are equivalent to modern cafes and even included in the drink menu list at various standard 5-star restaurant and regular restaurants.

Herbal medicine has become a beverage for all people, both lower, middle and upper classes. Especially when the outbreak of the Covid-19 outbreak, based on research from Professor of Molecular Biology from Airlangga University, Chaerul Anwar Nidom. Said that Rhizomes can ward off the corona virus. That works by increasing the body's immunity, because the most important thing to make the virus weak is strong immunity.

Here are the types of rhizomes, their contents and benefits.

1 / GINGER

Ginger has the Latin name Zingiber officinale. Has a characteristic spicy taste derived from zingeron compounds. Ginger is widely used as a spice in Asian cuisine and various herbal drinks.

The health benefits of ginger, including:
• improve the digestive system obtained from phenolic compounds, serves to relieve symptoms of gastrointestinal irritation, stimulate saliva, prevent contractions of the stomach, to help the circulation of food and drinks in pollution and help remove excess gas in the digestive system.
• Reducing nausea in pregnant women or those caused by vertigo, as well as those accustomed to nausea when waking up / morning sickness. You do this by eating raw ginger or make it a warm drink.
• Helps reduce menstrual pain.
• Helps detoxify and prevent skin diseases.

Gingerol, phytonutrients compounds in ginger can help reduce the risk of cancer. Gingerol compound also functions as an anti-inflammatory.

2 / TURMERIC

Turmeric or its Latin name Curcuma Longa Linn. Like Ginger, turmeric is also widely used as a spice in Asian cuisine.

The active ingredient of curcumin in turmeric has a million benefits for the body. Being able to block the work of cytokines and enzymes that cause inflammation, works to reduce inflammation by decreasing histamine levels and increasing natural cortisone production in the adrenal glands. Turmeric can also be used to treat various diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, acute coronary syndromes, arthritis, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, heartburn, reduce pain during menstruation, treat nausea, etc.

3 / CURCUMA

Or known by the Latin name Curcuma zanthorrhiza. It is a native Indonesian plant that looks like turmeric. So it is often referred to as Javanese Turmeric. The curcuma rhizome contains curcuminoids (yellow coloring agents in ginger and turmeric), essential oils, starch (the largest yellowish-white component in the curcuma rhizome), protein, fat, cellulose, and minerals.** Apart from being used as medicine, temulawak is also widely used for spices in cooking, giving natural color to foods as well as cosmetics.

Benefits of curcuma for health, among others:
• improve the digestive system, overcome bloating in the stomach.
• Increase appetite
• Therapy for osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease, which causes the joints to become painful and stiff)
• Acne medications
• Cancer prevention, as well as an anti-inflammatory.
• Maintaining healthy liver protects it from hepatotoxins (chemicals that cause adverse effects on the liver) such as carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen.

And there are many other benefits of curcuma for other health, besides curcuma also has side effects if used excessively. So it is important to pay attention to the dose of use.

4 / KAEMPFERIA GALANGA

Also known as aromatic ginger, sand ginger. Latin named Kaempferia galanga. Besides being used as a cooking spice, Kaempfeira Galanga also functions as an herbal medicine. The benefits are not only from the rhizome, but also from the leaves. The content of substances in Kaempfeira Galanga, among others, starch,Minerals, Sineol, Alkaloids, Gums, Kamphene, Paraeumarin, Ethyl ester, Borneol, Cytotoxic, Antibacterial, Anisic Acid, Methyl Kanil Acid, Cinnamic Acid.

The benefits of Kaempfeira Galanga include:

• As an herb to relieve coughing by mixing one teaspoon of kencur that has been mashed with salt.
• The cytotoxic and antibacterial content in Kaempfeira Galanga juice can kill bad bacteria in diarrhea.
• Its antidepressant properties are able to calm tense nerves in the human body like the effects of sedative drugs that can help relieve stress.
• Anti microbial can maintain healthy skin and prevent dental caries, by blocking the bad bacteria and microbes Lactobacillus acidophilus in the mouth.
• Increase appetite
• Reduces pain in the body.

Besides being beneficial for health, Kaempfeira Galanga can also be used as a beauty mask mixed with white rice, to remove black spots and eye bags, prevent premature aging, removes pimples, reduces excess oil on the face, brightens skin tone, and tightens skin.

5 / LEMONGRASS

Has the Latin name Cymbopogon citratus. Shrubs are tall, with elongated stems and leaves. Very familiar in Indonesia and Asia as a spice in cooking to add flavor. The aroma is fresh like a lemon. Lemongrass plants have 55 of the same species, but only limited to the types of East India and West India that can be used for cooking spices. Benefits of lemongrass leaves can be obtained by drinking boiled water from the stems and lemongrass leaves.

In lemongrass contained inflammatory exterminating compounds namely citral and geranial, and also antioxidants, chlorogenic acid, isoorientin, and swertiajaponin. Inflammation is a factor of various health problems such as pain in the body to heart disease, so it is advisable to consume lemongrass tea. Lemongrass also functions as an anti-microbial derived from essential oils of lemongrass, against Streptococcus mutans bacteria, the bacteria responsible for tooth decay.

Another benefit of lemongrass are:

• To eliminate anxiety and excessive stress, the aroma therapy contained in this plant can have a relaxing effect on the body, so many essential oils and cosmetics are made from lemongrass.
• Increase production of red blood cells / hemoglobin. A study, showed that consumption of lemongrass tea every day for 30 days can increase the concentration of hemoglobin, compact cell volume, and the number of red blood cells in the body.
• Maintain oral health such as eliminating bad breath and preventing and treating thrush.
• Eliminates bloating in the stomach, lemongrass has a diuretic effect which is to stimulate the kidneys to expel more urine than usual. This diuretic effect is beneficial if water retention causes bloating, which is one of the common symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

6 / GALANGAL

Called as Alpinia galanga, in Latin. Besides functioning as a spice in cooking, galangal can also be used for health herbs. Galangal has a rough skin texture, hard and fibrous flesh.

The benefits of galangal include:

• Antibacterial agents can eliminate pathogenic bacteria that cause diarrheal diseases, such as lactose and fructose.
• Inhibits carbohydrate metabolism thereby minimizing spikes in glucose in the blood. Equivalent to the function of synthetic antidiabetic drugs. So that it can be used as therapy for diabetes treatment.
• Polyphenols, alkaloids, triterpenes, steroids (as antioxidants) and carbohydrates that actively work in the ginger can protect the liver and pancreas from damage.
• Anti-inflammatory properties in galangal have a protective effect on the brain, reduce brain degeneration due to aging factors.
• Galangin component is an anti-cancer substance, an antioxidant to repair body cells due to free radicals and various poisons that enter the body.

Rhizome herbal recipes to enhance body immunity

INGREDIENTS :
3 pieces turmeric
8 cm of ginger
2 medium pieces red ginger
5 lemongrass stems
700 ml of water
2 cinnamon sticks
Palm sugar to taste

DIRECTIONS:
• Wash all ingredients and clean with running water.
• Slice turmeric, ginger and Curcuma and ​​lemongrass.
• Cook water until boils, then put the ingredients that have been cut into the water, add cinnamon.
• Let it boil for about 5 minutes, turn off the heat and add palm sugar.
• Strain and pour into a glass. Drink while warm in the morning.

This herbal drink if consumed regularly can help improve body immunity, maintain fitness so that the body is always fit, antioxidants to ward off free radical compounds, eliminate body odor, and be able to remove harmful substances in the body.

---

I making video for my article this time. Thank you for reading and watching.) Dwiita 😉

Note all images source from freeimages.com