Carotenoid content and antimicrobial activities of medicinal plant species used for Malay traditional postpartum bath (mandi serom)

Abstract

The modern Malay community today prefers to spend their daily routines in accordance with the current available advancements; be it in terms of education, fashion, food, lifestyle, or health. Currently, traditional knowledge of Malay midwifery practices has been sadly neglected because of the poor transmission of knowledge, and the poor understanding of the importance or benefits it can provide to women. The lack of published research has also caused these practices to disappear. The current research attempted to provide supporting data collection of medicinal plants used in Malay traditional postpartum bath and supportive scientific data based on the identification of the carotenoid content and its antimicrobial activities. Through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, all 20 species were found to have at least four individual carotenoid pigments with a relatively high concentration of lutein and β-carotene and lower concentrations of zeaxanthin. The highest amount of lutein was found in Nilam (1488.4±49.6 μg/g DW) and the highest amount of β-Carotene was found in Pisang kelat (405.17±81.20 μg/g DW). The carotenoid extracts were further investigated for its antimicrobial activities against 12 human pathogens using disk diffusion test (Kirby – Bauer Method). Based on the observation made, among 12 strains, S. pyogenes was detected as to be the most inhibited strain with the highest inhibition zone was 18.0 ± 1.0 mm against 1 mg/disc of carotenoid extraction of C. longa. The significant outcome of the research was a new findings of new natural bioactive compound sources as health promoting agents which covers not only the Shariah requirement, but also safety aspects. Moreover, it will preserve the traditional knowledge of Malay traditional bath practices.