Bhiva Parab
Panaji
Traditional medicinal practitioners and indigenous people in Goa possess extensive knowledge of preparing and using animal-based remedies, yet little effort has been made to conserve these medicinal species, according to a recent study.
The researchers said local communities should be made aware of the importance of biodiversity and sustainable use of species identified as sources of ethno-zoological medicine. They also recommended including multidisciplinary experimental approaches in research to identify potential lead compounds from animals and their products.
The study, ‘Zootherapy and Ethnozoological Studies of Medicinal Animals and Their Products Used by the Tribal Communities in Goa’. was conducted by Harshada Gaonkar, Akshita Gaonkar, and Anjali Velip, along with Associate Professor and Head of the Zoology Department, Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Quepem, Dr Rajender Rao Kulkarni. Published in the International Journal of Ayurvedic Medicine (2024), it documents the traditional practices of the Gawda and Dhangar communities.
Researchers recorded the use of 19 animal species—including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians—for treating 22 ailments, with mammals being most frequently used. Tribes collect excreta, feathers, and parts of dead animals, while some poached animals are naturally dried and stored for medicine preparation. Earthworms are collected during the monsoon, sun-dried, and used to treat snake bites from the Common Indian krait. The plastron of the Indian flap shell turtle is applied to burns and swollen throats, while Indian pangolin scales are used to treat skin inflammation.
Among the Gawda community, the fidelity level of therapeutic animal species ranged from 25% to 100%, with the Indian bullfrog for asthma and cough showing the highest value. In the Dhangar community, ten species were reported—mostly mammals such as the Gaur, Cow, Goat, Mouse Deer, Human, and Malabar Giant Squirrel—with fidelity levels ranging from 50% to 100%.
According to researchers, these tribes depend on homemade animal and plant-based medicines, diagnosing ailments using their five senses—an impressive practice given their isolation from modern healthcare.
The study concludes that ethno-zoology, which explores the socio-cultural relationships between humans and animals, highlights the urgent need to preserve both species and traditional knowledge systems that connect biodiversity with
human health.
