Ethnozootherapy in communities in the cerrado of piauí state, Brazil

Abstract

Ethnozoology analyzes the relationship between human communities and local fauna. Zootherapy stands out as one of its subareas and presents practices related to the use of animal-based medicines. The objective was to analyze the medicinal use of animals and by-products in two rural communities in the Brazilian Northeast. The study was developed from the application of semi-structured forms from two rural communities. The species with the highest number of citations were: Lycalopex vetulus (fox), Gallus gallus domesticus (chicken) and Euphractus sexcinctus (armadillo). It was noticed that due to the contact with nature, human communities developed knowledge about the use of animal-based medicines for the treatment of diseases such as influenza, asthma and inflammations in the throat. However, anthropic action has been causing negative environmental impacts, such as a significant decrease in the population density of several species of animals in the wild.