Zootherapy goes to town: The use of animal-based remedies in urban areas of NE and N Brazil

Abstract

This paper examines the therapeutic possibilities offered by animal-based remedies in five Brazilian cities. Information was obtained through semi-structured questionnaires applied to 79 traders of medicinal animals at São Luís, Teresina, João Pessoa and Campina Grande (Northeastern) and Belém (Northern) Brazil. We recorded the use of 97 animal species as medicines, whose products were recommended for the treatment of 82 illnesses. The most frequently quoted treatments concerned the respiratory system (58 species; 407 use-citations), the osteomuscular system and conjunctive tissue (46 species; 384 use-citations), and the circulatory system (34 species; 124 use-citations). Mammals (27 species), followed by reptiles (24) and fishes (16) represented the bulk of medicinal species. In relation to users, 53% of the interviewees informed that zootherapeuticals resources were sought after by people from all social classes, while 47% stated that low income people were the main buyers. The notable use and commercialization of medicinal animals to alleviate and cure health problems and ailments in cities highlights the resilience of that resource in the folk medicine. Most remedies quoted by interviewees depend on wild-caught animals, including some species under official protection. Among other aspects, the harvesting of threatened species confers zootherapy a role in the discussions about biodiversity conservation in Brazil.

Introduction

The use of biological resources for various therapies has been documented in different parts of the world, largely on the basis of studies carried out in remote regions, where traditional medicines (TM) may provide a de facto alternative for primary health care systems (e.g., Robineau and Soejarto, 1996, Agra et al., 2006, Uniyal et al., 2006).

Recent studies, however, have highlighted the relevant role played by TM in cosmopolitan areas (e.g., Balick et al., 2000, Balick et al., 2003, Macía et al., 2005), where health care needs generally are met by mainstream services, such as hospitals and allopathic pharmacies. Such co-existence of TM and conventional medicine points to strong socioeconomic and cultural ties which prevent the later from completely displacing the former in urban areas, and to a perceived efficacy of TM by consumers.

While the connections between traditional botanical remedies and conventional medicine in urban settings have been explored in scientific publications (e.g., Vivienne et al., 2000, Balick et al., 2000, Balick et al., 2003, Macía et al., 2005, Albuquerque et al., 2007), there is a dearth of information on the use of animals as medicine by city dwellers.

Here we examine the therapeutic possibilities offered by animal-based remedies in five Brazilian cities situated in the regions with the lowest socioeconomic development within the country (IBGE, 2006). By investigating TM and use of animal-based remedies in urban settings in a biologically and culturally diverse developing country, we hope to further stimulate discussions about the cultural and socioeconomic ties which allow TM to persevere in metropolitan areas, and to further explore the connections between primary health care, zootherapy and wildlife conservation.