Ethnozoology: Fauna and Their Products as Traditional Curative, protective, and preventive medicines and Prospection of Animal Conservation

Abstract

Across the globe, traditional medicinal knowledge of indigenous people has played an important role in identifying living organisms which are endowed with medicinal values for treating human and livestock health problems. Increased this understanding of medical systems in a historical context can potentially bring new insights into the medical significance of fauna in the past and open new therapeutic perspectives in the future. This review paper explore the existing sources and research papers on the medicinal use of animals to provide a summary of historical context in which zootherapy developed in the world, knowledge and document remedies and treatments currently used, and highlight the contributions made by the field of Ethnozoology. Beyond the use of animals for traditional medicine, Ethnozoology is increasingly becoming more relevant to discussions on conservation biology, cultural development, economic development, medical value and sanitary value. Despite their importance, studies on the therapeutic uses of animals and their body parts have been neglected, when compared to plants. Therefore, series steps should be made towards improving understanding of the use of animals in traditional medicine, and improving the management and regulation of the traditional medicine network for conservation and sustainability of animals.