You best be prepared for the upcoming months in these parts of the tropics, as they are considered the most "challenging times of the ear" for your health and physical condition. Many ailments seem to spring up during this annual transition from monsoon to dry season, which is locally known as pancaroba.

Dropping temperatures and sudden wind anomalies bring on colds, eye irritation, coughs, headaches, and at times fever-which are most likely sparked by certain allergies.


The drops in temperature make way for the common Balinese term nyem, often used to describe a state in which certain parts of the body (usually the feet and arms) are uncomfortably cold. This malady affects people of all ages, bringing on rheumatism to the elders, and extra care is taken with newborns.

For the elder Balinese, a cold night's sleep would usually be prepared for with the application of a very warming Red Rose Oil or minyak Gandapura, widely sold in Chinese apothecaries. Another traditional application is the topical boreh, named for any mixture of medicinal herbs and spices applied externally.

The main purpose of these is to promote a warming sensation, similar to the relief of branded balms like Vicks. The main ingredients include an indigenous tree bark called babakan cacil, cloves, nutmeg and brown rice. Other ingredients include sandalwood, ginger, cinnamon, mesui and sitok, coriander, bengle (a type of plant used in local and Chinese medicines) and an extensive list of preferred herbs.

Based on current research carried out by the nation\'s equivalent to the Food and Drug Administration (the Badan Pengawasan Obat dan Makanan or BPOM), there are currently nine indigenous equatorial plants that are confirmed as safe for medicinal purposes. These include turmeric, temu lawak or wild ginger, jati belanda to decrease cholesterol levels, mengkudu fruit and daun salam to decrease blood sugar levels, cabe jawa (a certain type of chili) as an aphrodisiac, sambiloto and red ginger or jahe merah as an anti-neoplasm, and guava leaves as an anti-dengue preventative. Extensive lists of others are under research.


There is also an unpopular method of relief for those times of runny noses and mild allergies. The Balinese have an unrelenting craving for the hot and spicy food that westerners may either detest or avoid. This unpopular method is however, a quite popular local dish. My Canadian friend, who has been here long enough to get acquainted with and settle into this (usually pungent) food, as most surfers usually do, always opts for this method whenever he gets a cold. This option is of course the humble rujak.

This Balinese fruit salad consists of a mix of fruits topped with a hot and spicy sauce. The pungent ingredients for the sauce include chili, shrimp paste, salt, palm sugar, tamarind, and fish stock for the base. The mix of vitamin C-rich tropical fruits and sauce on their own keep the doctor away, and the hot chili gives relief to the mucosal linings, aiding with the elimination of the annoying secretions and clearing the airways. A challenging dessert, you may think.