The Utilization of Traditional Medicine to Treat Fever in Children in Western Javanese Culture

Fever regularly affects toddlers and may make their parents uneasy. This study aimed to identify common traditional medicines used by parents to treat their children’s fever at home. The study was conducted in Karyasari, Leuwiliang, Bogor District. It was descriptive in design, and the instrument used was a questionnaire developed by the authors. A group of 106 respondents was selected through the cluster sampling method. All respondents were female; the youngest was 20 years old, and the oldest was 53 years old. The majority of respondents had graduated from elementary and junior high school (93%), were currently unemployed (95%), and had a household income of less than Bogor’s regional minimum wage (RMW) (91%). The majority of mothers (90.6%) identified fever through tactile perception. The most common traditional medicines used by respondents were onion (86.8%) mixed with oil (64.2%) and applied to the body (86.8%). The results of this study suggested the need for health education concerning the use of traditional medicine to treat fever.