Uses of wild vertebrates in traditional medicine by farmers in the region surrounding the Serra do Conduru State Park (Bahia, Brazil)

Abstract

Wild and domestic animals and their by-products are important ingredients in the preparation of medicines traditionally used in folk medicine, present in various human cultures since antiquity. However, the decline in the number of species in neotropical regions as a result of hunting for various purposes, including food, medicine and magico-religious use, has placed some species - especially endemic species - at risk of extinction. In this context, the present study aimed to identify the wild vertebrate species used in folk medicine in five communities in the region surrounding the Serra do Conduru State Park (PESC), Bahia, Brazil. Forty-five hunter-farmers were interviewed, citing 23 species, from which 17 raw materials are extracted for prevention and/or treatment of 19 illnesses. Mammals were the most cited taxon followed by birds and reptiles. Among the species mentioned, Cuniculus paca is the most used for zootherapy purposes, followed by Salvator merianae and Sphiggurus insidiosus. There was dissimilarity between the communities in relation to the diversity of species used for zootherapy. Ten categories of body systems were classified for which the therapeutic resources are recommended. Disorders related to the middle and inner ear were the most cited. Some of the species mentioned are endangered, such as Bradypus torquatus and Lachesis muta. This research demonstrated that zootherapy is a traditional practice embedded in these communities. Further studies are needed to broaden knowledge of other species that may have important cultural value for these families, as well as to evaluate the potential implications of the uncontrolled use of these species in traditional medicine in an ecological context, since the practice of zootherapy can excerpt pressure on critical animal populations and threaten biodiversity.

Rural Populations of Alagoinhas and Herpetofauna: Knowledge, Uses and Interactions

“…The category of use as medicine presented a total of 125 citations. The knowledge about the use of animals in medicinal practices cited by the rural population of Alagoinhas, corroborates with the ndings of numerous researches in Brazil and around the world [33,[40][41][42][43][44], rea rming the medicinal importance of herpetofauna for human communities. Apparently, according to the informants, the communities have a vast medicinal knowledge about reptiles and amphibians, but the use is not frequent.…”

Wild Animals Used as Food Source in the Region of the Serra do Conduru State Park – PESC, Bahia, Brazil

“…The tegu, Salvator merianae, identi ed as the lizard of greatest dietary importance in the region of the PESC, was also considered by Alves and others as the reptile of greatest hunting importance in a study carried out in two municipalities in Paraíba, Brazil [57]. Teixeira and other researchers indicated the tegus as the reptile most used for zootherapy in the region of the PESC [15]. Fitzgerald states that lizards of this genus are also commonly hunted in Argentina, Paraguay, and parts of Bolivia [88].…”

“…In the Atlantic Forest region of South Bahia, Pereira and Schiavetti described the use of 14 species as medicinal resources by indigenous hunters of Tupinambá in the district of Olivença (Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil) [52]. In the PESC, Teixeira and collaborators reported the use of 23 species of wild animals in traditional medicine [15]. Regarding control hunting, Santos and others identi ed 45 species of wild animal involved in con icting relationships with farmers in the Costa de Itacaré/Serra Grande Environmental Protection Area (Bahia, Brazil) [59].…”

“…Researchers have con rmed the importance of hunting, in various regions around the world, especially in tropical forests [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Hunted species make up part of the diet of rural populations and urban areas in various tropical regions [8][9][10][11] and are among the main sources of animal protein for traditional communities at different locations [12][13][14][15]. However, although hunting is responsible for supplementing the diet of various traditional populations [16,17], the demand for game meat in the tropical region has been putting pressure on wild species, making it di cult to recover their numbers [18][19][20][21][22][23].…”

Evaluation of Unconventional Supplements to the Diet of Intensively Reared Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) in Trinidad, West Indies

“…In the Neo-tropics it has been utilized as a source of meat protein and in medicinal therapies. [ 7 , 8 ]. To satisfy the increasing demand for this wild animal protein without threats to endangering the agouti, the development of an intensive production system for the commercial production of agouti in captivity has been advised [ 9 ].…”