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Hello everyone and all members of the Natural Medicine Community, I'm back after a long time not contributing to this community. How are you all? May we all always be healthy and happy in every routine and work that we are currently doing.

For the past few days, I have been sick with flu such as fever, runny nose and cough. I am not alone, many people such as neighbors, my brothers and my parents are also sick with symptoms of the same disease. Many opinions say this is a result of the transitional weather that is being experienced by Indonesia, when the sun shines very hot and hot during the day. In the afternoon, the air conditions turned humid and it started to rain. Or maybe we are exposed to a new virus variant but never mind that we don't really think about it.

Living in Indonesia, made me have many options and ways of treatment when I was sick. When I have a fever with symptoms that are not too severe, I limit myself not to take medication (such as paracetamol or etc). I prefer natural medicine and I can easily get it in my country. When I was sick this time, I brewed an Indonesian herbal drink called Wedang Bir Mataram.

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Wedang Beer Mataram

Wedang Bir Mataram, also known as Javanese beer, is one of the most popular traditional Indonesian herbal drinks. This herbal drink uses the name "beer" because the stew from the spices is like the color of beer. But take it easy, this herbal drink without alcohol and very beneficial for the body.

Initially, this herbal drink was only consumed by the Mataram royal family and became a mandatory drink for the kings. But now, Wedang Bir Mataram can be found anywhere and ready to brew ready for us to enjoy at home. The spread of Javanese people to various corners and places in Indonesia, bringing this drink also spread and is increasingly known by many people.

According to history, Wedang Bir Mataram is a traditional drink created by Sultan Hamengkubuwono VII as a drink served in negotiations with the Dutch colonialists. During the colonial era, Indonesia was not yet a single country and parts of the territory of Indonesia were still in small kingdoms. At that time, Dutch colonialism often came to the kingdom for negotiations and Wedang Bir Mataram became a drink that was often served.

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Composition and Benefits

I got Wedang Bir Mataram ready to brew from my friend in Yogyakarta. At that time, he gave me as a souvenir that I might be able to use when I was sick. Wedang Bir Mataram is made with a variety of native Indonesian spices. You can see that it is clearly written on the ready-to-brewed packaging that there are ginger, cinnamon, lemongrass, cardamom, lime, secang wood, cloves, alang-alang root, pandan leaves, and rock sugar.

The packaging also reads the benefits of this herbal drink, such as increasing stamina, clearing the throat, improving blood circulation and warming the body. Okay, now we try this herbal concoction, is it as written. When I just opened the packaging, I was already very comfortable with the aroma of these various spices.

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How To Brew

First, prepare 500 ml of water.

After that, put the spices from this mataram beer wedang into the water and we will boil it.

Slowly, the color of the water will turn yellow. The yellow color is caused by the sappan wood and the water will give off a very strong and warm aroma.

Bring the water to a boil and this will allow the spices to infuse more.

After that, strain the stew of spices into a teapot.

Wedang Bir Mataram is ready to be enjoyed.

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About Taste

The taste of this herbal drink is similar to some other wedang but there are things that distinguish it specifically. The taste of lime is very strong and this is what makes this drink very comfortable in the throat.

Sour and spicy are the two most dominant flavors in this herbal drink. The spicy taste is most likely obtained from cloves, lemongrass and ginger which do have a spicy taste and can warm the body. The acid is obtained from the lime, and the addition of cinnamon makes this minimal taste complex and pleasant to drink. This herbal drink is very suitable to be drunk when it rains to warm the body, maybe this herbal drink is also suitable for friends who are in winter, and can be an alternative to other warm drinks besides beer or wine.

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