India-Indonesia: The prospect of Ayurveda and Jamu partnership

A new paradigm of cooperation is developing between India and Indonesia in bioresource management, innovative farming, and renewable energy, complementing traditional sectors like defence, bilateral trade, and other strategic partnerships. Notably, some seaweed harvesting companies facing regulatory challenges in India have found it easier to operate from Indonesia, illustrating how these emerging fields offer practical solutions and opportunities for collaboration. This new wave of cooperation promises to strengthen and bridge gaps in bilateral ties, enhancing both nations’ capacities to address shared challenges and foster sustainable growth.
Indonesia’s 1700 islands’ biodiversity is one of the richest in the world, with an estimated more than 30,000 plant species and millions of maritime resources, of which over only 2,000 have documented medicinal uses. This incredible natural wealth has given rise to a unique traditional medicine system called “Jamu”. Passed through generations, Jamu represents a traditional healthcare system, a cultural practice deeply embedded in Indonesian identity, and the local wisdom they proudly call “kearifan lokal”. The Jamu extractors and growers have been in this profession for generations and have the expertise to extract, process and prepare the final applicable form of the medicine. They produce medicine, work as vendors, and roam around the populace, diagnosing ailments and then going for treatment. This Jamu community, popularly called “ahli Jamu or tukang Jammu”, have long provided people with natural remedies for various ailments, from minor issues like colds and fevers to chronic conditions such as arthritis, eczematic and fungal issues and various tropical complexities. However, as Indonesia advances economically and socially, the sustainability of this tradition, which involves millions of skilled human resources, faces significant threats. Indonesia’s traditional medicine industry substantially depends upon traditional Jamu extractors and vendors.
Jamu is a deeply rooted local tradition that utilizes a wide variety of Indonesia’s medicinal plants, carefully harvested and formulated into natural remedies by local healers. With an estimated one million Jamu practitioners across Indonesia, this traditional medicine system provides accessible and affordable health solutions, particularly in rural areas where modern medical facilities may be limited. Despite its significance, Jamu faces numerous challenges, jeopardizing its sustainability and growth.
The decline of Jamu expertise stems from urban migration, as rural populations abandon traditional practices for higher-paying urban jobs, eroding their specialized knowledge. This shift disrupts Indonesia’s traditional medicine heritage and weakens community empowerment. Meanwhile, companies exploit the high demand for herbal products by overharvesting resources, threatening biodiversity and monopolizing materials traditionally used by Jamu practitioners. Patenting herbal formulations further deprives traditional extractors and growers of recognition and rights. The commercialization of medicinal plants disrupts traditional practices and undermines the economic stability of rural communities that have relied on Jamu for generations.
Jamu, Indonesia’s traditional medicine, faces challenges due to its informal structure, limiting global recognition and commercialization. Unlike India’s Ayurveda, which benefits from formalized institutions, regulations, and research, Jamu lacks standardized formulations, documentation, and oversight. Despite the growing international demand for herbal medicines, these gaps prevent its global reach. Additionally, Indonesia’s rich biodiversity, essential for Jamu, is threatened by biopiracy, where foreign corporations patent bioactive compounds without fair compensation to local communities. This exploitation undermines Indonesia’s sovereignty, displaces local practitioners, and endangers traditional livelihoods. Protecting Jamu’s resources is vital to preserve the nation’s cultural heritage and bioeconomic benefits.
The newly established Indonesia-India Bioresource Consortium (IIBC) in Bandung, under Padjajaran University (UNPAD), aims to transform Indonesia’s traditional medicine sector, addressing challenges such as lack of structure, regulatory standards, and global recognition. By cataloguing medicinal plants, establishing regulatory frameworks, and training practitioners, IIBC seeks to elevate Jamu to the level of Ayurveda, India’s globally recognized traditional medicine system.
Leveraging India’s expertise in organizing Ayurveda into a regulated and internationally respected sector, IIBC provides Indonesia with a roadmap to streamline Jamu practices. The initiative includes digital mapping of bioresources and creating a legally protected framework for preserving and commercializing traditional medicine, empowering local communities and generating economic opportunities. IIBC’s partnership between Indonesia and India offers a strategic platform for revitalizing Jamu and ensuring its sustainability while fostering community empowerment and biodiversity preservation.
India’s expertise in Ayurveda offers numerous benefits for developing Indonesia’s traditional medicine sector. While Ayurveda has long been recognized for its therapeutic benefits, it has also achieved prominence globally as a structured, science-backed alternative medicine. More than 70% of India’s 1.3 billion population regularly uses non-allopathic healthcare systems, such as Ayurveda and other traditional therapies, underscoring the importance of alternative medicine within India’s healthcare landscape. This extensive, organized framework includes standardized formulations, documented practices, and a robust regulatory framework that has been vital in promoting Ayurveda as a legitimate and effective medical system.
By collaborating with Indian experts and scientists, the IIBC project aims to replicate these organizational successes for Indonesia’s traditional medicine sector, bringing Jamu practices into a regulated and scientifically validated framework. The project envisions the creation of a comprehensive digital catalogue of medicinal plants, DNA profiling to protect bioresources, and a biobank and a museum to conserve Indonesia’s vast biodiversity. Furthermore, IIBC envisions training Jamu practitioners in modern methodologies, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to an organized bioresource economy while preserving traditional knowledge. This initiative could open new avenues for Indonesia in global healthcare markets, contributing to local economic growth while safeguarding its rich cultural heritage. By learning from India’s success in Ayurveda, Indonesia can create a resilient, inclusive, and globally respected traditional medicine sector that serves local and international communities.
Beyond these immediate benefits, the collaboration between Indonesia and India through IIBC can establish a Joint Medicinal Bank (JMB), a shared repository of medicinal plants and formulations that would benefit both nations and the global community. Such a repository would provide ethically sourced, scientifically validated herbal resources accessible to researchers, practitioners, and patients worldwide. This cooperation embodies the shared values of both countries in promoting wellness and preserving cultural heritage, demonstrating how traditional knowledge, when organized and protected, can contribute significantly to global health solutions. Even though it is a far-fetched idea, the proper investment in such a field can be a boon in the healthcare sector in achieving its SDG if appropriately executed.

India’s Possible Role: Leveraging Ayurveda to Strengthen Indonesia’s Bioresource Sector
India’s expertise in Ayurveda offers invaluable insights and guidance for structuring and strengthening Indonesia’s traditional medicine sector. Ayurveda, which translates to “the science of life,” is one of the oldest healthcare systems in the world, with a history spanning over 5,000 years. It encompasses a range of practices, including herbal remedies, dietary guidelines, lifestyle recommendations, and holistic wellness approaches. This extensive, organized body of knowledge has gained international recognition and is increasingly used as a complementary therapy in developing and developed countries. Ayurveda’s success in achieving global prominence is a model for organizing and formalizing Indonesia’s Jamu sector.
In India, Ayurveda is supported by a comprehensive regulatory framework that includes standardized practices, quality control mechanisms, and an established education system for training practitioners. Ayurvedic institutions, regulated by India’s Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy), ensure that practitioners receive rigorous training and adhere to standardized treatment protocols. This organized structure has allowed Ayurveda to achieve credibility as a reliable and effective alternative medicine system within India and internationally.
Collaborating with Indian Ayurvedic experts offers Indonesia a strategic opportunity to enhance its traditional Jamu practices through best practices in standardization, documentation, and quality control. Indian expertise can aid in developing a regulatory framework with quality assurance protocols and standardized formulations, ensuring Jamu products are safer, consistent, and credible in international markets. This approach would allow Indonesia to tap into the growing global demand for natural and alternative therapies.
India’s success in establishing educational frameworks for Ayurveda can serve as a model for Indonesia to create similar institutions. Through initiatives like the IIBC, Indonesia can train practitioners in standardized Jamu practices, preserving traditional knowledge while bridging generational gaps caused by urban migration. These programs would empower a new generation of skilled practitioners to sustain and advance Indonesia’s traditional medicine system.
Indian Ambassador Mr Chakravorty underscores the need for collaboration, highlighting a key distinction: Jamu remains informal mainly, while Ayurveda has evolved into a formalized medical system. Formalizing Jamu through partnerships with India could enhance its global recognition and scientific validation, fostering mutual growth for both nations in traditional medicine systems.
Moreover, Indonesia and India share similar tropical climates and a wealth of common herbal plants. Although regional geodiversity imparts unique properties, collaborative efforts to develop knowledge-based products rooted in local wisdom present immense potential to address global health needs and benefit humanity. This partnership offers a transformative pathway to elevate traditional medicine practices into globally respected and impactful systems.
Dr Gautam Kumar Jha, Centre for Chinese & Southeast Asia, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Prof. Pawan Dhar, CVJ Centre for Synthetic Biology, Kochin University of Science and Technology, Kalamassery, Kerala.
Prof Made Joni, Nanotechnology, Padjadjaran University, Indonesia

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