Zootherapeuticals of the three geo-political regions of Southern Nigeria

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Drug bioprospecting from natural products is arguably a gold mine. Ethnopharmacological studies have primarily focused on the use of plant materials for drug discovery, though other natural products including animal species are commonly used for managing diseases in Nigeria. Review and documentation of zootherapy studies in Southern Nigeria are scattered, and inventory and cross-indexing of zootherapeutics in the region are scarce.

Aim of the study

We reviewed and inventoried studies on the practice of zootherapy in managing diseases in the three geopolitical regions of Southern Nigeria.

Materials and methods

Inclusion criterion for the papers used was limiting utilization of animal species to medicinal purposes only. Publications between 1988 and 2021 were examined using databases like Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and Medline. Popularity ratio (P.R) and impart factor (IF) were assigned to an animal family to denote number of places in the Southern Nigeria where it is used and number of diseases it is used to manage respectively.

Results

Data were gathered from 81 published papers or books out of which 26 were on the practices of zootherapy in different states of Southern Nigeria, 45 were on the practices of zootherapy in other parts of the world for correlations and cross indexing, 8 were referenced for natural medicines generally while the remaining two were relevant literatures. Ninety-eight (98) species of medicinal animals and products were used in the South-Western, seventy-nine (79) in the South-Southern and twenty (20) in the South-Eastern regions of Nigeria. Oyo State was reported for the highest therapeutic usage while Abia State has the lowest value. The animal product with the most medicinal usage in Southern Nigeria are Bovidae with an impart factor (IF) of 100 while Anatidae, Osteridae and Colubrida each has an impart factor of 4.76. The animal parts (bone, tail, head, skin, fur, milk, hoof, horn, egg and honey; skull and teeth) are the most commonly used in the South-East, whole animal in the South-West and flesh in the South-South.

Conclusions

This review of the zootherapy practices in Nigeria may further enhance the study and development of new drugs by researchers interested in ethnopharmacology.