The herbal medicine we live by?

Abstract This study addresses how Javanese kesarasan texts discursively construct cultural legitimacy for traditional herbal medicine ( jamu ), a practice central to indigenous health knowledge yet often marginalized by biomedical paradigms. By integrating Appraisal Theory with the Mixed Game Model, the research examines the evaluative language and dialogic strategies that negotiate authority between these knowledge systems. A qualitative discourse analysis of eight texts from Panjebar Semangat (2024–2025) reveals that legitimacy is built through a consistent pattern of unhedged positive Affect and Valuation, amplified by Graduation and asserted via monoglossic Engagement supported by communal attribution. These strategies function cooperatively to present jamu as an emotionally resonant, self-evident cultural truth, effectively closing dialogic space to competing perspectives. The study contributes a hybrid analytical framework to discourse analysis and offers practical insights for culturally sensitive health communication that acknowledges the persuasive architecture of traditional knowledge systems.