Terapi mandi bunga dalam perubatan Melayu untuk penjagaan kesihatan mental (bath flower therapy in Malay medicine for mental health)

Abstract

Flower Bath therapy is one of the practices in Malay medicine that remains until today. According to Dr. Wan Hasmah Wan Teh, Literature Lecturer, School Of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), she explained that flower bathing is a ritual that is very well known in the Southeast Asian region, including Malaysia, where the Malays are mostly aimed at enhancing the aura, beauty and ‘seri pengantin’ (Siti Sofia, 24 March 2018). Therefore the use of flower bath therapy is often associated with beauty compared to health care. So, the community needs to be given more exposure on the benefits of flower bathing for healthcare. Flower bath therapy in Malay medicine has the potential to be applied as a prevention and for disease treatment, especially in dealing with mental disorders that have doubled over the past ten years (Datuk Seri Dr. S. Subramaniam, September 28, 2016). Flower bath therapy can help in mental health problems by lowering the cortisol hormone (stress hormone), enhance the sense of comfort, relaxation and increase endorphin levels that provide a sense of ‘feel-good’ and reduce pain. Flower bath therapy is also found to be potentially in preventing depression. This study is aimed at presenting flower bath therapy as one of the ways for mental healthcare.