The Effectiveness of Temulawak (Curcuma Xanthorriza) Plus Honey in Increasing Children Under Five Years’ Body Weight

Background: Malnutrition is still nutrition problem in Indonesia. One of the factors is the loss of appetite of children. In empirical side, Temulawak (Curcuma xanthorriza) is known having effect of increasing appetite. Honey is a natural ingredient that has been used for its energy and can stimulate appetite. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Temulawak plus honey on toddlers’ body weight gain in Blora District, Central Java, Indonesia. Materials and methods: This was a quasi-experimental study design. The subjects were children aged 1-5 years old. Treatment group received 250 gr powdered Temulawak and 1 tablespoon of honey and mixed with 125 cc mineral water. While the control group just received 250 gr powdered Temulawak mixed with 125 cc mineral water. All the subjects drank two times in every day (morning and evening before eating) lasts for 30 days. Body weight was measured before and after the treatment. Independent t-test was employed to test the difference mean of body weight in treatment and control group. Results: The study resulted that the average mean in the treatment group was 1.247 kg while in the control group was 0.393 kg. There was difference mean of body weight gain between treatment and control groups. The treatment group resulted the body weight gain statistically significant (p