MALAY WOMEN AND MEDICINAL PLANTS: A CULTURAL ANALYSIS

Medicines derived from plant materials are widely used by Malay women during pregnancy, dlivery and confinement to avoid miscarriages, complication during delivery, restore good health and avoid future ill health both for mothers and babies. Using the Malay cultural perspective, the paper has three objectives, namely to identify the Malay women during pregnancy, delivery and confinement, the reason behind the usage and the curative values of the plants. The discussion is based on the data collection through observation and in-depth interviews with 30 Malay respondents and four traditional midwifes in Kelantan in 2007 and several short follow-up in 2009. The analysis shows that the balancing of hot and cold, the symbolism of blood, and the metaphors of openness and obstruction influence the Malay women to uses medicinal plants.