What did people long ago use as a pad or tampon?

Answer 1

Women used cloth folder multiple times to absorb the flow. These cloth "pads" could be washed and reused as required. Even today, in many underdeveloped countries, where proper sanitary pads are too expensive for the ordinary resident to be able to afford, the less affluent population uses this same method, or locally created alternatives, which are essentially cheap cotton kept in pad shape by a netting. These, however, contain no gels or such, so the blood can seep right through the cotton, which is why these need to be changed regularly.

Answer 2

women at that time frame would use either leaves or fabric as a pad