Pengetahuan etnobotani tumbuhan ubatan wanita selepas bersalin (ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants for women after childbirth)

On a global scale, there are between 35,000 and 70,000 species of plants used in traditional medicine, while statistics show that around 60–80% of the population, especially in poor countries, still rely on plants as alternative medicine. In Malaysia, traditional knowledge about medicinal plants is increasingly being lost, including the conventional Malay midwifery knowledge often associated with selected medicinal plants and practices. Vaginal heat (bertangas) is a crucial postpartum treatment aimed at reducing uterine swelling, eliminating unpleasant odors, speeding up the healing of wounds, and tightening the pelvic floor muscles. This study aims to identify the types of vaginal heat practices, and the medicinal plants used in postpartum treatment. An unstructured face-to-face interview was conducted with 16 traditional Malay midwives from three states in Peninsular Malaysia: Pahang, Terengganu, and Kelantan. The study findings recorded that all three locations still practice vaginal heat. Two types of vaginal heat methods were identified in this study, namely dry vaginal heat and wet vaginal heat. In terms of medicinal plants, 18 species were found to be used across the three study locations, including chenderai, mengkudu, rambutan, lemak ketam, serai kayu, leban, serai wangi, tapak Sulaiman, jintan hitam, pandan, halba, limau, melor, senduduk, mawar, kelapa, kunyit, and semalu. The variety of plant selections depends on the ecosystem, inherited traditional knowledge, local culture and beliefs. However, further studies, such as clinical trials, could be highlighted to validate the use of medicinal plants as natural ingredients in pharmaceuticals.