The Benefits of Lime in Balinese Traditional Medicine

Health is the most valuable thing in the world, more than anything else. Many of us are not aware of our health until we get sick and end up spending a lot of money on medical treatment in the hospital. However, do you know about the traditional medicine that has been used by the Balinese people for a long time? In one of these treatments, a fruit that we often encounter every day is used. This fruit is lime or what the Balinese call juuk lengis. Lime or juuk lengis is used in various types of usadha treatments.

Lime ( Source : Private Collection )

Usadha is a traditional Balinese medicine that has many teachings, which will contain various ways of treating and various rituals in cleansing oneself. Balinese usadha will be written in a palm leaf with Balinese script that is considered sacred. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of lime or juuk lengis in several parts of Balinese usadha.

Lime is very easy to find in Indonesia, especially in Bali. The Balinese call this type of lime juuk lengis because the texture of the liquid released by this lime is like oil (lengis). If viewed from the side of modern medicine, it is no longer doubted that lime has benefits for human health.

The first benefit that has become a common solution for the Balinese people is the use of lime (juuk lengis) as a treatment for dry cough. Treatment with this method has been taught by the elders in Bali since the past. The processing method is quite easy, which is to squeeze a few limes (juuk lengis) into warm water. The mixture can be drunk regularly as long as you still have a dry cough.

If we look at it from the perspective of modern medicine, this method is effective in treating coughs because lime has high vitamin C content. Based on research published in the International Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences and Technology in 2004, lime contains antimicrobial substances that are effective in helping to restore the throat after infection. If the microbes are killed, the cough you experience will gradually improve.

Lime as dry cough solution ( Source : Private Collection )

According to Mangku, a holy person in Bali, Loka in Sanur Village, and Jero Mangku Gde in Pamaron Singaraja Village, lime (juuk lengis) can be used as an internal medicine to treat tilas bunga disease with a few mixtures with other ingredients. Tilas bunga is a type of disease that attacks the part outside the waist. The treatment of tilas bunga is a type of usadha kacacar.

To make medicine for tilas bunga, we need ingredients besides lime. These ingredients are Padang Sendok, lamongan, temu-temu, and honey. All of these ingredients are crushed in warm water. The mixture can be drunk three times a day, in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

In the lontar usadha taru pramana, there is a sentence that explains that lime is an additional ingredient for eye treatment. “tityang taru kelor, engket barak nem, akah panes, dawun tityang dados anggen tamban mata sakit, ra., juuk lengis, uyah-areng, saring, deg-degan, ketelin netrane.” This sentence means that kelor leaves if mixed with lime, black salt, then filtered and settled will have benefits for the eyes. The way to use it is to drip it into the affected eye.

In usadha gede, it is also mentioned that lime is one of the ingredients. In a palm leaf that is 50 cm long, 3.5 cm wide, written with 4 lines of writing. The original palm leaf is owned by a Balian named I Gde Brangsinga from Banjar Paguyangan, Buleleng District. The total number is 159 leaves of palm leaves. The meaning given by the title of this is usada, means medicine (healer); Gede means big. Big in the number of records of diseases along with their medications. After that, mantras are applied as a means of healing.

On page 47b in the lontar usadha gede, it is written, drops and medicine to be drunk, ingredients, gadung cina, kalembak kasturi, majakane, majakeling, tulang trengiling pangolin bones, bones of buron tukang (a type of monkey), Cinnamon, jeruk purut with the tree, lime (lengis), bitter ginger, isin rong jangkep, brandy water, if you want it to be young, cook it simply (just enough). This formula of lime is intended to treat swollen bodies (swollen bodies), especially in the legs of humans.

Lime (juuk lengis) is also used in usadha rare. Usadha rare is a traditional Balinese medicine for children. Lime is one of the important ingredients in usadha rare for treating weak and lethargic babies, as well as babies with upas tawus disease. Lime mixed with sugar and sinrong is used to treat children with these problems.