Students of Academic Mobility Exchange for Undergraduate at Airlangga (AMERTA) of Traditional Medicine First Semester 2018/2019 practices making beras kencur and wedang jahe at Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry Laboratory of Faculty of Pharmacy Universitas Airlangga. the eight students, who came from several colleges in Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia, learned to prepare and recognize the materials organoleptically under the guidance of lecturers and administrative staff. With enthusasim, they roasted rice, sliced fresh rhizome, and then pounded all materials using mortar and pestle. The ingredients that had bcome smooth and homogenous were poured with water little by little until becoming homogenous, then sieved. The sieve result was then added with a little coconut sugar and red sugar as necessary as flavor enhancer. The end result was slightly warmed and then ready to serve.
The production of wedhang jahe herb tea was done through decoction by slicing and heating ginger rhizome in water until boiling. After boiled, the flame intensity was reduced and heating was continued for 15 minutes.
At the end of the meeting, all students participating in the program had to taste both mixtures so they could recognize the smell and taste of those popular Indonesia beverages. They also learned the benefits, usage rules, and side effects that may arise during use. One of the participants, Maneshwaran Kalidass, an undergraduate student in Forensic Science, University of Malaya, was happy to experience brewing and tasting jamu that he made. "It is really tasty and had a very hot and soothing effect when consumed," he said.
The practice is part of the course activities and practice in Amerta Program held every semester since 2015. The students obtained course materials on Indonesian traditional drugs, including the philosophy, variations of mixtures, and utilization of the Indonesian traditional medicine for health. Students also learned about medicinal plants and simplicia, development of regulation and industry of traditional drugs. A field visit was also done to jamu factory, traditional medicine clinic, and jamu sales center in Surabaya.
Since its first installment, Amerta participants has come from Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, the Netherlands, and several other european countries. Since most of them did not originate from health studies, then the planning for course content and practice was done specifically to be easy to understand. Cicilia Putri, S.Hum, a staff of Administration for International Programs Airlangga Global Engagement (AGE), said that AMERTA is held by foreign students to learn and discover Indonesian culture in East Java in social, health, and other studes. "This kind of cultural exchange is expected to bring mutual benefit for the efforts to build our country and nation to be healthier, happier, and more prosperous.
AMERTA students paid tuition fees and obtained living costs during their participation in the program. (Mangestuti)
