Zootherapeutics utilized by residents of the community Poço Dantas, Crato-CE, Brazil

Abstract

BackgroundAnimals have been used as a source of medicine in Brazil since ancient times, and have played a significant role in healing practices. Specifically in Northeast Brazil, zootherapy is a very common practice, and together with medicinal plants, it plays an important role as a therapeutic alternative. In the state of Ceara, no works have been carried out on rural communities with regard to use of zootherapeutics, even though the practice of zootherapy is common in this region. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the use of medicinal animals in a rural community (Poco Dantas) in the municipality of Crato, Ceara, Brazil.MethodsThe field survey was carried out from October 2008 to January 2009 by conducting interviews using structured questionnaires with 72 people (33 men and 39 women), who provided information on animal species used as remedies, body parts used to prepare the remedies, and ailments for which the remedies were prescribed. We calculated the informant consensus factor (ICF) to determine the consensus over which species are effective for particular ailments, as well as the species use value (UV) to determine the extent of utilization of each species.ResultsA total of 29 species, distributed in 17 families were categorized as having some medicinal property. The taxa most represented were: mammals (9), insects (7), reptiles and birds (4). Progne chalybea, a species not previously recorded as being of medicinal use, was cited in the present work, where it is utilized in the treatment of alcoholism. The animals are used in the treatment of 34 diseases or symptoms, where sore throat, inflammations and cough are the ailments with the greatest number of citations.ConclusionThe data show that zootherapy represents an important therapeutic alternative for the inhabitants of the community. New studies on medicinal fauna should be conducted with the aim of determining the exploitation level of the species utilized, promoting sustainable development of medicinal species that are eventually threatened, and preserving and disseminating the knowledge developed by traditional individuals of the community.

Caça, uso e conservação de vertebrados no semiárido Brasileiro

“…A maioria dessas espécies cinegéticas citadas também foi registrada em outros estudos etnozoológicos [12,14,20,[44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52], evidenciando a disseminação de seu uso e sugerindo a existência de padrões de caça de vertebrados cinegéticos na região semiárida brasileira. Mamíferos, pelo seu maior porte e possibilidade de maior retorno energético, são os alvos preferenciais para uso como alimento, embora as aves se destaquem quando se considera a riqueza de espécies usadas para fins alimentares.…”

The Role of Mammals in Local Communities Living in Conservation Areas in the Northeast of Brazil: An Ethnozoological Approach

“…In rural communities, for example, males usually have more contact with natural resources due to agriculture practices and hunting activities [28][29][30]. However, Almeida et al [30] indicate that women have greater knowledge of the production of herbal medicines [31] and/or zootherapeutic products [32]. This difference most likely occurs because women are the main caretakers of children [30,33].…”

Game mammals of the Caatinga biome

“…The tail, skin and fat are used in popular medicine for treatment of the following ailments: ear aches, deafness, burns, inflammations, rheumatism, erysipelas, skin problems, respiratory illnesses, sore throat, snake bites, asthma, tumours, swelling, infections and bronchitis. For example, the tail is introduced into the ear to combat deafness in various localities in Northeastern Brazil (Alves 2009;Ferreira et al 2009a). Fat is rubbed onto burns and inflammations, and the meat is eaten without salt to treat pains in the bones (Ferreira et al 2009a, b).…”