Medicinal Plants used for Postnatal Care in Malay Traditional Medicine in the Peninsular Malaysia

Malay traditional medicine practice concentrates on the primary healthcare including physical and spiritual aspects of human being. Most traditional practitioners use medicinal plants in the treatment. Hence, the study is aimed to compile preparations and local medicinal plants used traditionally by the women in postnatal care. Five Malay traditional practitioners based in the district of Muar in Johor and two in the district of Kuala Pilah in Negeri Sembilan were interviewed. From the study, information on 23 preparations, consisting of 128 medicinal plants, was successfully compiled. The preparations were categorised as jamu, fresh herbs, eye drop, poultice, medicated talcum powder and bathing solution. The medicinal plants comprised of 52 species belonging to 42 genera and 27 families. Some species were found to occur frequently, such as Curcuma longa L., Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, Kaempferia galanga L., Piper cubeba Bojer, Zingiber cassumunar Roxb., Acorus calamus L., Piper nigrum Beyr. ex Kunth, Alyxia stellata Roem. & Schult., Coriandrum sativum L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Nigella sativa L. and Usnea barbata Fries. The part of plants utilised in the preparations include rhizomes, fruits/berries, leaves, seeds, barks, flowers, roots, whole plant, gall and bulb. The study provided useful and important information on the diversity of medicinal plants used by different Malay traditional practitioners in postnatal care.