In harmony with modern life, people tend to take something more practical. Advancement of science and technology has enabled this and it is triggered by time efficiency. Healthcare, for instance, has improved the quality of human life significantly. When life is made easier, looking back to the past healings is not mistaken. Balinese have a deep root of herbal healing traditions.
To perform this imaginary journey, it can be carried out by exploring some written evidences left. One of those evidences lies in palm-leaf manuscripts known as lontar. Other than relying on holy water, incantory power and intermediary of tools such as ring, kris dagger and so forth, in those manuscripts are also mentioned the use of herbal medicines.
More specifically, this article will highlight some treatments given to children or childcare. Many traditional healers used the lontar as their reference. Without difficulty to learn about Balinese character and language, modern people still could know it through books transliterated from those lontars. They are now widely available at local bookstores and written in balinese and Indonesian language. Usada Rare or literally means Children Healing, for example, becomes a famous guidebook for traditional healers.
As any other method of treatments, the basic requirement needed is a strong belief. No matter how sophisticated the method applied, without a belief in the method would make it useless. Belief in the method and in God would help the healing from inside. Before touched by the medium or healing practitioner, the belief has started the healing practitioner, the belief has started the healing process from within.
Here are some examples of child heathcare implemented for centuries by Balinese. When baby is difficult to suck its mother’s milk, it can be helped by taking lemon juice, wrap it in banana leaf and then it is roasted. After roasted, please add with some sugar and then give this drinking to baby.
Wriggling can disturb the convinient sleep of baby. To relieve this movement, take guava leaf, fresh water, lepas grass, garlic and calamus (Acorus calamus). Digest all ingredients and when they have been finely digested, spray the ingredients onto the body of baby. Probably, this administration should be provided in the morning or at night because bathing is suggested after midday by preparing water mixed with ingredients like bangle (Zingiber cassumunar) and sandalwood scrubbed on clay tray. By doing so, there will be enough time for herbal medicine to work.
Now and again, toddlers show late development on their walking ability. Based on Taru Pramana manuscript, it can be helped by striking them with a bunch of dry flower of kayu ingan-ingan. Physical features of its flowers are hollow resembling light brown foam and usually grow well at riverside, creek side and so forth. In Balinese language, the basic word ingan means light. Local people believe that striking by these flowers onto their hips repeatedly has efficacy to accelerate their walk ability.
Those are few examples of treasure belonging to Balinese traditional healings. Though originating in ancient tradition, at leats they certainly have a little goodness for life. Aside from being safe for the body, herbal ingredients are easy to get from surrounding environment. Some young generations may underestimate the use herbal ingredients like boreh or herbal powder since it looks trifle and old. However, they may not forget when visiting a spa house, boreh is also offered for facial and skin care. At spa boreh is processed in modern technique and presented in such a way on order it could meet the demand of modern lifestyle.
News by International Bali Post
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