Animal-based medicines used in ethnoveterinary practices in the semi-arid region of Northeastern Brazil

Ethno-medicinal uses of vertebrates in the Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape, central Nepal

Traditional knowledge on the use of animal products to maintain human health is important since time immemorial. Although a few studies reported food and medicinal values of different animals, a comprehensive ethno-medicinal study of vertebrates in Nepal is still lacking. Thus, present study is aimed at documenting the ethno-medicinal knowledge related to vertebrate fauna among different ethnic communities in the Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape, central Nepal. Data was collected by using semi-structured questionnaires and analyzed by using Use Value (UV), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Fidelity level (FL). Results showed a total of 58 (53 wild and 5 domestic) species of vertebrate animals. They were used to treat 62 types human ailments. Four animals were also used for veterinary diseases and agriculture benefits. The most widely used species was Felis chaus (UV = 0.25) with 3 use-reports by 10 informants. Cardiovascular and dental problems had the highest ICF value (0.974) with cardiovascular problems having 351 use-reports for 10 animal species and dental problems having 77 use-reports for 3 animal species. The least ICF was found in ophthalmological problems (ICF = 0.833, use reports = 7 for 2 species). We concluded that the different animals were an important part of traditional medicine for the local people living in the Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape. However, the majority of animals and most likely to be threatened due to their uses. The present documented ethnozoological knowledge can be used in conservation and management of vertebrates so that they could be protected for future generations.

Antibacterial and antibiotic modifying activity evaluation of ruminants' body fat used as zootherapeutics in ethnoveterinary practices in Northeast Brazil

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Northeast Brazilian ethnoveterinary studies associated with the medicinal use of zootherapies have shown that ruminants' body fat such as sheep (Ovis aries), goats (Capra hircus) and cows (Bos taurus) are used in diseases affecting domestic animals.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the fixed oils from these ruminants in isolation and in association with antibiotics.

RESULTS

Ovis aries (OFOA), Capra hircus (OFCH) and Bos taurus (OFBT) fixed oils were extracted using a Soxhlet apparatus with hexane as the solvent. Through the use of gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) the methyl esters from the ruminants' fixed oils were obtained and the fatty acids present in these oils were indirectly determined. The OFOA, OFCH and OFBT antibacterial and antibiotic modifying activities against standard and multi-resistant bacterial strains were carried out using the broth microdilution test. The fixed oils from these species did not present antibacterial activity when tested in isolation, obtaining Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MICs) values ≥ 1024 μg/mL. However, when associated with antibiotics, OFBT and OFCH showed a synergistic activity for the Amicacin, Amoxicillin, Norfloxacin and Oxytetracycline antibiotics.

CONCLUSION

The OFOA promoted a synergistic action for the same antibiotics with the exception of Norfloxacin.

Zootherapeutic uses of wildmeat and associated products in the semiarid region of Brazil: general aspects and challenges for conservation

BACKGROUND

Hunting wildlife for medicinal purposes is a widespread practice throughout Brazil; however, studies about the animals used for zootherapeutic practices have been performed almost exclusively with traders (herbalists) and end consumers, and not hunters. This makes it difficult to completely understand the market chain, trade strategies, and drivers of this practice. The present study investigated the species hunted or trapped for traditional medicinal uses by collecting data about the use and trade of the zootheurapeutic species.

METHODS

We collected data through semi-structured questionnaires complemented by free interviews and informal conversations with hunters in five municipalities of semiarid region of the NE Brazil. We calculated the Use-Value (UV) index to determine the relative importance of each species reported by interviewees. The Multiple Linear Regression model was used to assess the influence of socioeconomic factors (age, schooling, residence zone, trade of zootherapeutic species) on species richness exploited by hunters.

RESULTS

Hunters reported a significant richness of species (n = 39) intentionally or opportunistically captured for use as remedies for treatment of 92 diseases or conditions in humans or livestock. Respondents also reported trade strategies that were well-organized and quickly directed the selling of wild animals or byproducts via modern technology. We found a weak positive relationship only between species richness and hunters' age via MLR model.

CONCLUSIONS

The hunting and use of wild species for medicinal purposes are culturally disseminated activities among hunters. Our results demonstrate the importance of studying hunters in order to understanding the dynamics of bushmeat exploitation and to develop more efficient strategies for wildlife use and conservation.

The use of wild vertebrates in contemporary Spanish ethnoveterinary medicine

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

This review documents the wide and varied repertoire of traditional practices based on the use of wild vertebrates in Spanish ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) from the early 20th century to the present. Empirical practices, both ritual and magical, are recorded, and these EVM data are compared with those of other countries in the Mediterranean Region and Latin America. The data collected here could form a scientific foundation for future inventories of traditional knowledge and help in the discovery of new drugs for livestock.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A qualitative systematic review of international and national databases in the fields of ethnobiology, ethnoveterinary medicine, folklore and ethnography was made. Information was obtained from more than 60 documentary sources.

RESULTS

We recorded the use of 30 wild vertebrates and a total of 84 empirical remedies based on the use of a single species. The two most relevant zoological groups are reptiles and mammals. A wide diversity of body parts or products have been and are used. The meat and skin of snakes are the animal products most commonly used. These zootherapeutic resources have been and are used to treat or prevent ca. 50 animal diseases or conditions, in particular digestive and reproductive ailments, together with some infectious diseases. Sheep, cattle and equines form the group of domestic animals in which the greatest number of useful species are employed. In addition, many remedies and practices of the magical type are documented. In comparison with other culturally related areas, this is a rich heritage.

CONCLUSIONS

Contemporary Spanish EVM practices amass a great richness of wild animal-based remedies. A diversity of animal parts or products have been used, offering a cultural heritage that could be a fundamental step in the discovery of new and low-cost drugs for treating livestock and alternative materials for pharmaceutical purposes. This overview contributes to the inventory of some uses and rituals seriously threatened by the progressive loss of local veterinary knowledge.

Traditional uses of medicinal animals in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil

The present work presents an inventory of the traditional medicinal uses of animals in the municipality of Bom Sucesso in Paraíba State (PB) in the semiarid northeastern region of Brazil. Information was obtained through the use of semi-structured interviews with 50 people who use zootherapeutic products. A total of 25 animal species used for medicinal purposes were identified (18 vertebrates and seven invertebrates) distributed among five taxonomic categories; the groups with the largest numbers of citations were: mammals (8 citations), insects (7), and reptiles (5). The most cited animal species were: Tubinambis merianae "teju" lizards (44 citations); Apis mellifera Italian honeybees (318 citations); Gallus gallus chickens (31 citations); Ovis aries sheep (31 citations); Crotalus durissus rattlesnakes (14 citations); Boa constrictor (12 citations); and Bos taurus cattle (12 citations). A significant number of illnesses and conditions treated with animal-based medicines were cited, and the category with the greatest number of citations was "problems affecting the respiratory system". Our results suggest that the use of zootherapeutics in the region is persistent, and that knowledge about these curative practices is an integral part of the regional culture. As such, studies concerning the uses of zootherapeutics are important windows to understanding human/environmental/cultural interactions and a pathway to conciliating regional cultures with efforts to conserve the native fauna.