Menstrual Health Problems of Women Indigenous Peoples around Protected Forest Area in Sumatra, Indonesia, and Plants’ Usefulness to Treat It

BACKGROUND: Some cultures have a favorable view of menstruation, consider it sacred, and respect the female body, so some local wisdom and the practice of using plant species are also attached to it. Moreover, menstruation is an integral part of reproductive health for women as mothers of a nation. However, the management of menstrual problems included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (gender justice) goals in several indigenous communities around the forest has not received attention. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explain the situation of menstrual management, predict indications of reproductive problems, and record the practice of using plants to overcome these problems in indigenous tribal communities around the forest. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 15 youths of the Orang Rimba, one of the marginal indigenous people in Jambi Province, Sumatra Island, Indonesia, were the subjects of measurement of all variables using anthropometric measurement procedures. The 15 girls were also interviewed regarding menstrual problems, personal hygiene management, and using plant species to overcome them. Meanwhile, ten adults became respondents to the complementary primary data. RESULTS: No plant species were explicitly used to treat menstrual problems. Four species are used by the Orang Rimba concerning labor management (pre- and postpartum). CONCLUSION: There are no significant reproductive problems despite the incidence of dysmenorrhea. However, aspects of nutrition and personal hygiene, including during menstruation, still need special attention, especially considering that the typology of Orang Rimba varies according to their Tumenggung and the characteristics of their forest habitat; It is challenging to measure their health as a group. This condition may also apply to other communities around the forest due to their limited reproductive health knowledge.