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Medicine from the Wild: An Overview of the Use and Trade of Animal Products in Traditional Medicines

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Animals in Traditional Folk Medicine

Abstract

The use of animals, plants, and fungi as a major source of local medicine for people’s well-being in rural areas has been documented in different parts of the world, and has also been recorded in urban environments. In urban settings, the trade of wildlife-based medicinal products is concentrated in local and traditional markets, where various species of medicinal plants and animals are commercialized. The commercialization and use of biological resources as remedies encompass cultural, social, and economic aspects and bear important implications for conservation, especially in relation to the most heavily exploited species. This chapter reviews the literature on commercialization of medicinal animals in local markets, focusing on urban zootherapy and on the social actors involved in these practices. In doing so, we hope to highlight the importance of further research on the topic and to explore ways through which conservation and management initiatives can improve dialog with resource users and traders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ethnozoology, Conservation and Biodiversity Research Group, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, Paraíba, 58109-753, Brazil

    Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves

  2. Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, 58059-970, Brazil

    Ierecê Lucena Rosa

  3. Applied Ethnobotany Laboratory, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Dois Irmãos, Pernambuco, 52171-900, Brazil

    Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque

  4. Forests and Livelihoods programme, Centre for International Forestry Research, 0113 BOCBD, Bogor, Indonesia

    Anthony B. Cunningham

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  1. Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves
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  2. Ierecê Lucena Rosa
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  3. Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque
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  4. Anthony B. Cunningham
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Correspondence to Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves .

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  1. , CCBS - Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual da Paraiba, Av. Baraúnas 351, Campina Grande, 58-109753, Paraíba, Brazil

    Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves

  2. , CCEN / Depto. de Sistemático, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, 58059-900, Paraíba, Brazil

    Ierecê Lucena Rosa

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Alves, R.R.N., Rosa, I.L., Albuquerque, U.P., Cunningham, A.B. (2013). Medicine from the Wild: An Overview of the Use and Trade of Animal Products in Traditional Medicines. In: Alves, R., Rosa, I. (eds) Animals in Traditional Folk Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29026-8_3

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