The Healing Power of Borneo Camphor in Various Archi pelago’s Manuscripts

The Healing Power of Borneo Champor

in Various Archipelago’s Manuscripts

Barus or camphor in English (Cinnamomum camphora). - https:// www.shutterstock.com/g/ ecbpl – ELAKSHI CREATIVE BUSINESS

The distinctive smell of camphor (kapur barus) has long attracted commodity hunters from all over the world to the Indonesian archipelago. The umbil oil or borneol from the Borneo camphor tree is efficacious as inflammatory medicine and analgesics (pain relievers), as well as food additives. Its white and transparent colour, grabbed by kapur tree (Dryobalanops aromatica) and camphor trees (Cinnamomum camphora) trappers, embraced with local wisdom. It takes extra patience to wait for the proper growth of one camphor tree. It takes around 50 years to get a mature Borneo camphor tree with good quality and sell it at a fantastic price.

Uniquely, the exact location of Barus is still being debated, even though it is now included in the administrative area of Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra. If you look at changes from one era to another, it is possible that the position of the port and coastal city of Barus moved for a reason.

Camphor is mentioned in Western records through Aetii Medici, by Ateius Amida (502-578 AD). The fame of the aroma of camphor also spread to West Asia. Umar bin Khattab’s troops in the 7th century, for example, came across camphor, which they thought was salt in jars, when they had just conquered Chosroes II’s Sasanid Dynasty’s palace on the banks of the Tigris River.

Yi Jing, who lived around the same age, also mentioned “Po-Lu camphor” as the main commodity of Shih-li-fo-shih alias Sriwijaya. The name Po-lu refers to the Chinese name for Barus in the classical Chinese prose from the Tang Dynasty entitled Hsin-Tang-Shu, which was “Langpo-lu-si”. The Arabs mentioned camphor in 775 AD in Kitab al-Fitan wal ‘Malahim, when Umar bin Abdul Aziz gave praise in his reply to a king from Sriwijaya. It’s said that Sriwijaya had a camphor scent that could be smelled for miles away.

The start of the trading pulse of Barus could be traced back to the Portuguese explorers who arrived in the Indonesian archipelago in the 16th century AD. Tomé Pires, a Portuguese who was careful to observe conditions in the archipelago, said that the “kingdom” of Baros was wealthy.

Medicine Manuscript

Batak medicine manuscript, commonly called pustaha, mentions that camphor is useful for curing various diseases. The sap of camphor (hayu hapur) is always used to cure lumbago (haccit gotting), rheumatism (jumbalang), stomach pain, and to treat wounds (mabugang). Datu (shaman in Batak ethnic) also use umbel oil as a medicine for broken bones (maponggol), misplacement of joints, or cracked bones. Umbel oil is also useful for preserving/eliminating the smell of corpses, preventing damage to cloth, and stopping bleeding from cuts, burns, and stomach aches.

The ingredients for the medicine include five types of turmeric, five nutmeg seeds, various roots, banana, areca nut, coconut, sappelulut, green coconut, umbil oil, banana midrib, and rumbia or wood. The process: all the ingredients are pounded as fine as possible and then cooked with green coconut and umber oil. The datu then chants, “Biccumirloh dirahuman dirahuman, dirahumin rahumin. Toruna dodo (Be strong like God. Be brave like Mr. Tanjala. Bless you to move like the circle of rice. Bless the Messenger of Allah, La Ilaaha Illallaah)”. rut ti(na) jadi jalma, kawah jadi kasorgaan, (340) cahina jadi kasturi, kapuleka (a) ér mawar, ruhakna reujeung budahna, mate<11a>mahan kapur baruna .The translation: (335) My son, Purnawijaya, after becoming a human, hell becomes heaven, (340) the water becomes fragrantful, kapuleka, rose water, coals and the foam turn into camphor.

One of the books of Thib which tells the story of barus (the book is a collection of the National Library of Indonesia) - Syefri Luwis;

- Syefri Luwis

Camphor in Sundanese culture appears in the Darmajati manuscript (Kropak 423) collection of the National Library. Wawangsalan or Sundanese classical poetry written in Old Sundanese language and script means surrender (self) and offering to the Eternal. This manuscript is from the collection of the Regent of Galuh R.A. Kusumadiningrat (1839-1886) and is thought to have come from Kawali (North Ciamis).

Camphor is mentioned in line 340 as follows: (335) … Anaking Purnawijaya, (hu)

One of the tombstones at the Mahligai Tomb Complex - Septianda Perdana. - https://www. shutterstock.com/g/ Septianda+Perdana Septianda Perdana Another Sundanese manuscript that mentions camphor is About Medicines from Ciwidey (South Bandung). The manuscript written in the Pegon (Arabic) script in Sundanese and Cirebon languages is a collection of the Sri Baduga Bandung State Museum with number 273 glass 55.

Kapur barus is mentioned on page 20 and page 24: (125) … lamon balad amba (126) majing kana dada’ ngarana sétan (127) ka-

limur watekna hareneg ati (128) tambana konéng je(u)ng apu serta (129) ditepake(u) n tilu kali sarta (130) ulah ngambekan lamon te(u) hadé (131) tambana konéng gedé tujuh (132) keret dawun seret daun (133) singugu salasih bawang be(u)re(u) m (134) mangsoi katumbar jinten (135) disimburke(u)n, … dan (148) … lamon balad (149) amba majing kana cuqur ngarana (150) sétan talapuk watekna jadi(151) kapur barus tambana jaringa (152) au bungbu pagang hanet-hanet usap- (153) usapke(u)n, …

The translation: (125) … if balad amba (126) is attacked on the chest, that’s the devil (127) kalimur, it’s the signs of a liver ailment (128) the medicine is turmeric and camphor (129) clapped three times and (130) don’t get angry if it doesn’t work (131) the medicine is temulawak tujuh (132) peel … leaves (133) senggugu, basil, shallots (134) coriander, cumin (135) sprayed, … and (148) rubbed, if balad (149) amba attack the mouth part (150) it’s the signs for the devil talapuk (151) camphor is the medicine, jeringau (152) roasted powder, while warm, rub (153) on the body.

The Javanese manuscript entitled Serat Primbon Jampi Jawi Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the Reksa Pustaka Mangkunegaran Surakarta’s collection mentions camphor as a medicinal ingredient to treat abuh (swelling) pain suffered by children or the elderly, and swelling in the breasts and uterus. The ingredients for the concoction are roots, rhizomes, tubers, wood, seeds, leaves, flowers, fruit, mushrooms, camphor, chicken egg yolks (the kampung variant), as well as fresh water, arak, and vinegar.

The composition of the medicinal herbs for 12 kinds of abuh or swollen disease includes four saga of kayu timur (eastern wood), manis jangan as long as fingers, mungsi and sintok and lima saga, kencur, ginger, three slices of lempuyang, three chillies, five cloves, two nutmeg seeds, two shallots, three onions, five mustard greens. Everything is grounded; add water, then mix with three saga of camphor. Apply on the swelling area. The manuscript mentions in detail the methods of treatment made from spices. Swelling due to a fall, for example, is different from the cure for swelling not caused by an impact (swelling without a cause or abuh tanpa jalaran).

The manuscript from Aceh that mentions camphor is the Kitab Tib which uses Jawi (Arabic) script and Malay language, the collection of Teungku Amir at Meunasah Kruet Teumpeun, Teupin Raya Pidie, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. Chapter 14, for example, mentions a headache medicine. “Take some pekakan leaves, camphor and sendawa, then grind them and put the concoction on the head, afiat.”

Chapter 8 mentions a medicine for eye pain. “First, take rhubarb, aloes, kumkum,

Mahligai burial complex in Aek Dakka Village, Central Tapanuli - https://www.shutterstock.com/image-https://www.shutterstock.com/g/nineimage - nineimage

sandalwood, cloves, some rose water, camphor and amber. Mix it all well and then drink it, afiat.” Chapter 25 talks about an eye pain medicine, “Take temu putih and a white pottery bowl and a little camphor, then grind it on an iron, the water is lime water and honey water then put it in the eye that hurts, afiat.”

Chapter 60 covers a dental medicine, “First take the stem of senduduk and the stem of merdadi puan and the stalks of kaffir limes and large stalks of melad and cold rice and the stem of parasites and the stem of maja and the stems of patah kemudi. Dry all of them in the sun. After that, burn the stems, take the ashes, take a little shrimp paste, a little camphor, and a little siam gall, and a little sawa gall, then mix all them and put it on the teeth for three days and clench them at night.”

Barus At Present

Old camphor trees can be identified by the appearance of bumps on their trunks, however, they are now very difficult to find. To this day, camphor-producing kapur trees still grow in Aceh Singkil, Subulussalam, and Central Tapanuli. However, the production of camphor is decreasing in the western area of Singkil, the Natal River, between Sibolga and Padang Sidempuan to Aerbangis, as well as on the Riau Islands including in Bengkalis and Malacca.

Since 2019, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has put Dryobalanops aromatica on its “red list” as an endangered species. The threat is caused by improper logging practices to get camphor crystals on tree trunks. Other reasons are fires and deforestation caused by oil palm plantations.

Barus has become collective memory for some people in Asia and Europe, but people describe Barus and its champor according to their respective points of view. The accumulated narratives need to be reinterpreted through concrete actions, for example through the preservation of cultural heritage or sustainable nature conservation. Cross-disciplinary studies are also needed to achieve this goal (Sinta Ridwan: Philologist, Anan-

tarupa Studios R&D Researcher and

Barus Spice Story).