In today’s wellness landscape, peak health often conjures images of regimented routines: cold-pressed juices, daily workouts, perfectly prepped meals, and the latest wearable tech. Yet for most, achieving this “ideal” is far from simple. Hustle culture, inflation, and the quirks of the human body make holistic health a nuanced challenge. Raja Jesrina Arshad knows this reality firsthand.
Growing up facing persistent disorders such as eczema, chronic constipation, food sensitivities, and burnout, she quickly realised that conventional approaches weren’t enough. “For years, I lived with symptoms that on paper made me ‘fine,’ but I knew something was deeply out of balance,” she recalls.
“Going back to my roots healed me in ways modern medicine couldn’t.” – Raja Jesrina Arshad
Medical procedures provided no answers, and her search for wellness demanded more than modern medicine could offer. Her experience stands as a testament to the resilience and determination needed to navigate health in a world that rarely makes it easy.
Jesrina’s journey led her back to her roots. Guided by traditional Malay healers like Kak Ida and experts such as Professor Gerard Bodeker, she embraced time-honoured practices using Malaysian herbs, simple rituals, and clean, natural foods. “Going back to my roots healed me in ways modern medicine couldn’t,” she reflects.
Her personal transformation highlighted a larger truth: Malaysia’s rich wellness heritage remains largely unknown to younger generations and the wider world, yet it holds profound potential for holistic health.
Central to Jesrina’s work is Pegaga, a traditional Malay herb long considered a simple garden salad leaf. “What used to be seen as just ulam is actually a potent remedy—but only if prepared correctly,” she explains. Her challenge was twofold: educating the public about its medicinal benefits, and translating ancestral wisdom into convenient, modern formats.
Growth And Expansion
Through PurelyB, the award-winning wellness lifestyle brand she co-founded, Jesrina developed concentrated herbal powders, including pixie-stick formulations that deliver maximum potency without complicated preparation.
“This wasn’t just about convenience, it was about making ancestral remedies relevant for a generation unfamiliar with them,” she says. PurelyB now serves over 7 million users across Malaysia, Singapore, the U.S., Australia, and France, blending traditional Malay and Asian healing with modern science.
Jesrina’s vision goes beyond personal transformation; she aims to make ancestral Malaysian wellness a global standard. “I hope integrating these herbs into daily life becomes as normal as having your morning coffee—except that these rituals also support your gut, hormones, skin, lungs, mental clarity, and long-term vitality,” she explains. Her mission underscores a larger shift in wellness: from status-driven consumption to purpose-led, health-conscious living.
By bridging heritage, science, and accessibility, Jesrina is redefining holistic wellness for a new era, proving that ancient remedies are not relics of the past—they are tools for contemporary health, capable of supporting resilience, vitality, and longevity across the globe. “That is the future of wellness I want to help create.”
