Jamu Recipe - My Bali Drink Favourite

A traditional Balinese healing elixir that we discovered when we first arrived in Bali that has now become a firm morning ritual - made from raw roots and spices like turmeric, ginger, and tamarind. I share my favourite jamu recipe. The history of this amazing elixir. And the health benefits it’s brought me & my family—such as calming the gut-brain axis, reducing inflammation, and boosting immunity—and how you can bring it to your own corner of the world with this handed down recipe. Taking you step by step along with my best tips on turning it into a mindful morning ritual.

P.S. If you are in Bali Uluwatu area, I share the best place to get cold pressed Jamu in 1 litre bottles that the whole family can enjoy all week. The exact place where we buy our weekly juices.

Let’s dive in! Jamu (ꦗꦩꦸ) what is it about this traditional herbal medicine from Indonesia that makes it taste delicious and heals from within....?

If you walk through the early morning markets of Bali, past the sweet smoke of burning incense and the vibrant marigold offerings, you will notice a distinct, earthy aroma in the air. It is the sharp, grounding scent of fresh turmeric and bruised ginger. And if you look closely, you’ll see local warungs and street vendors pouring a vibrant, golden-orange liquid into glass bottles.

This liquid is Jamu.

Long before "wellness shots" became a trendy multi-million-dollar industry in Western grocery stores, the people of Indonesia had been using Jamu as a sacred, traditional herbal medicine for over 1,000 years.

When we first moved to Uluwatu, I knew I wanted to integrate local, plant-based medicine into our lives. Today, Jamu is a non-negotiable part of my daily routine. It’s absolutely delicious and I don’t drink much alcohol at all, so these are the kind of shots that I can get behind. Shots! Shots! Shots!

We as a whole family drink a chilled little shot glass of it every single morning and myself a little later at noon to break my intermittent fast. It doesn't just wake up my digestive system; it serves as a powerful, grounding ritual that connects my physical body to the island's energy.

Here is the science, the spirit, and the exact health benefits of this ancient Balinese elixir—and how you can make it at home, no matter where you are in the world.

The Science & Spirit: What is Actually Inside Jamu?

Jamu isn’t a single recipe; it is an entire philosophy of herbalism. And even though it tastes similar, no two are the same. In fact many recipes are handed down family recipes so if you find your favourite you’ll never want to be without it. Read on as I share the best place to get locally made fresh jams in Uluwatu via the GoFood App. 

However, the most popular and widely loved version in Bali is Jamu Kunyit Asam (Turmeric Tamarind Jamu).

As someone with a psychology degree, I absolutely love looking at the intersection where ancient "woo-woo" practices meet modern science. The ingredients in a traditional bottle of Jamu are a masterclass in synergistic healing:

• Fresh Turmeric (Kunyit): The undisputed star of the show. Turmeric contains curcumin, a bio-active compound widely studied for its massive anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

• Fresh Ginger (Jahe): The ultimate gut-soother. Ginger contains gingerol, which stimulates digestion, clears nausea, and warms the physical body from the inside out. We take a shot of pure ginger too - which certainly wakes up the taste buds.

• Tamarind Paste (Asam): This tart, sour fruit is packed with essential nutrients, amino acids, and antioxidants that boost metabolic health and give Jamu its signature tangy kick.

• Raw Honey & Lime: Added at the end to pull the earthy flavours together while providing a massive dose of Vitamin C and antimicrobial protection.

You'll notice some of these ingredients feature in the Pineal Gland Decalcifying Ingredients List Post

It’s tangy, sweet, and every mouthful you can feel the goodness working It’s like a liquid nectar. 

4 Incredible Health Benefits of Daily Jamu

Not only does Jamu taste incredible. If you love fresh juices, your cold pressed juices etc you really will love this. It also had amazing benefits for the health.

1. It Calms the Gut-Brain Axis & Nervous System

In the spiritual community, we talk a lot about expanding consciousness. But from a psychological perspective, you cannot access higher states of consciousness if your physical body or vessel is stuck in a chronic state of "fight or flight." Your gut and your brain are constantly communicating. Jamu acts as a gentle somatic reset tool. By soothing gut inflammation and promoting healthy digestion, it sends safety signals back up to your brain, making it easier to drop into deep meditation and regulate an anxious nervous system.

2. It Activates the Pineal Gland (Third Eye)

If you are currently on an awakening journey, you are likely looking for ways to decalcify your pineal gland to enhance your intuition. Interestingly, the two heavy hitters in Jamu—turmeric and ginger—are incredibly high in fluoride-fighting antioxidants. Curcumin, in particular, has been shown to protect the brain from neurotoxicity and help eliminate heavy metals from the body. Because Jamu uses these ingredients in their raw, potent, natural state, it is an incredible tool to pair with your spiritual practices. If you want to dive deeper into this, check out my full guide on [Pineal Gland Activation: Tools and Foods for Deeper Intuition].

3. It Obliterates Systematic Inflammation

Whether you’ve spent the morning surfing the waves in Uluwatu, chasing kids around the beach, or carrying the heavy emotional weight of the "messy middle" of life, stress manifests as inflammation in the body. The curcumin in Jamu blocks NF-kB, a molecule that travels into the nuclei of cells and turns on genes related to inflammation. It works on a molecular level to ease joint pain and muscle soreness.

4. It Provides Natural Immune Armor

Moving your entire life across the world requires a lot of physical resilience. Jamu serves as a powerful shield against seasonal bugs or the dreaded "Bali Belly." The combination of ginger and turmeric creates a highly hostile environment for bad bacteria and viruses, while fresh lime juice delivers a hit of bioavailable Vitamin C to keep your immune system sharp.

This might interest you, but in the whole time of being in Bali, our family of 4 have never had Bali belly. We eat out at local restaurants and street food. So make of that what you will.

How to Make Authentic Balinese Jamu at Home

When I was in the UK I used to make a similar type of juice by blending and straining out ginger, orange juice, lemon and honey. Never did I think to heat it first. Nor did I have access to tamarind. So You don't need to live in Bali to experience the magic of this drink. You can actually source all of these ingredients from your local grocery store or Asian supermarket in the US, UK, or Australia quite easily and also adapt to taste.

The Ingredients:

• 125g fresh turmeric root (washed, no need to peel if organic)

• 50g fresh ginger root (washed)

• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste (or substitute with the juice of 2 lemons if you can't find it)

• 4-5 cups of filtered water

• 2-3 tablespoons raw honey (or maple syrup)

• The juice of 1 fresh lime

The Steps:

1. Blend: Roughly chop your turmeric and ginger. Place them into a high-speed blender with the water and blend until completely smooth and bright yellow. (Be careful—raw turmeric stains everything it touches!)

2. Simmer: Pour the blended mixture into a pot and bring it to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat, stir in your tamarind paste, and let it simmer uncovered for about 15 to 20 minutes. This cooks out the raw, bitter edge of the roots.

3. Strain: Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly. Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer or a clean cheesecloth into a glass pitcher, squeezing out every last drop of golden juice.

4. Finish: While the liquid is still warm (but not boiling), stir in your raw honey and fresh lime juice.

5. Chill: Pour into clean glass bottles and store them in the fridge. Drink it chilled as a 50ml shot every morning, or pour it over ice for a refreshing afternoon ritual. It stays fresh for up to a week!

Treat Your Body Like a Temple

Living a freedom-based lifestyle is about so much more than just working from your laptop; it is about choosing to live consciously in every single area of your life. I never realised that having a healthy body would do so much for my spiritual connection. It’s true what they say that the body really is a temple. And something scared sits within it. So we try our best these days to look after the temple to honour the truth within it. 

Drinking Jamu isn't just about nutrition—it's a daily act of self-healing for us and an intentional choice to honour our body as a vessel for the Divine. Years ago this would have sounded crazy to me. But here I am now an avid honourer and honouree of learning that it’s all within. And so it makes perfect sense really that you’d want to put good stuff inside.

If you want to see exactly how I weave this traditional medicine drink into my daily schedule alongside my work and my family, head over to my post on [Designing a Conscious Daily Routine: My 8-Hour Freedom Flow in Uluwatu].

And by the way if you’re in Uluwatu, you absolutely must stop by Jamu Ratinah to get your fresh juices. They are my go to for cold pressed juices in 1 litre bottles. Cold pressed ginger. Coco water. Plus rainbow juices if you are planning to do a juice cleanse. They are so so good. Don’t forget to hand back your bottles for recycling - they will give you a cheaper price on your next purchases ;-)

Jamu Ratinah and Healthy Juices. Jl. Toya Ning II No.44, Ungasan, Kec. Kuta Sel., Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia. 

Here’s their Insta https://www.instagram.com/jamu_ratinah.juices.bali/

And their WA: +9281353627821

I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried jamu. And if you love all things Bali - Read more about our Bali life here - for best things we love, tips, hacks and must see’s and do’s for holidays and living in Bali.