Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, 230 Réduit, Mauritius.
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, 230 Réduit, Mauritius.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2019 Dec 5;245:112163. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2019.112163. Epub 2019 Aug 13.
Rodrigues, is an autonomous island that forms part of the Republic of Mauritius. It is a component of the Mascarene archipelago alongside Mauritius and Reunion island. Despite their relative geographical proximity, each island has its own unique biodiversity and indigenous knowledge. Nonetheless, there is no documentation of the use of animal-based remedies (ABR) in Rodrigues. This study was therefore designed to gather and compare primary traditional knowledge on the different ABR used by Rodriguans.
To collect, analyse, document, compare, and disseminate the use of ABR against common human ailments in Rodrigues island.
Data was collected following interviews from key informants (n = 150). Primary data collected in the present study was compared with those reported from the nearest island, Mauritius. Three quantitative indices including (i) the frequency of citation, (ii) the similarity ratio and the percentage of shared uses among the two islands and (iii) new uses and percentage of new uses recorded in Rodrigues for each animal species mentioned were calculated.
A total of 32 animal species belonging to 13 taxonomic groups among which 55% were vertebrates and 45% invertebrates were reported to treat 38 different ailment conditions. Altogether, 73 distinct medicinal preparations employing 22 different animal parts and by-products were concocted from the different animal species reported. Most used animal parts were meat (21%) followed by the whole body (14%). The preparations were either administered orally (78%) or topically (22%). Interestingly, resources such as the Rodriguan bat (Pteropus rodricensis) and honey are unique to the island and have never been studied before. Pteropus rodricensis is an endangered species while Carcharodon carcharias is a vulnerable one. The shared medicinal uses of the species among the 2 islands ranged from 0 to 50% with the most similar uses (50%) being for Columba livia and Donax Spp. respectively. The proportion of new uses of animal species recorded in Rodrigues was higher (NUR ≥ 30%) for Panulirus penicillatus, Ovis aries, Gallus gallus domesticus, Scutigera coleoptrata, Apis mellifera, Bos taurus and Capra aegagrus hircus.
Rodriguans were found to possess valuable knowledge on a plethora of ABR. It is believed that the present documentation will serve to record and present this vanishing knowledge to the scientific community before it is further eroded from the island. Given the dearth of primary published information on zootherapeutic practices in Rodrigues, this study opens new avenues for biomedicine development in an attempt to develop alternative therapies or complement existing ones.
罗德里格斯岛是毛里求斯共和国的一个自治岛屿。它是马斯克林群岛的一部分，与毛里求斯和留尼汪岛一起。尽管它们在地理位置上相对接近，但每个岛屿都有其独特的生物多样性和本土知识。然而，罗德里格斯岛上并没有使用动物源性药物（ABR）的记录。因此，这项研究旨在收集和比较罗德里格斯人使用的不同 ABR 的主要传统知识。
收集、分析、记录、比较和传播罗德里格斯岛治疗常见人类疾病的 ABR 用途。
从关键信息提供者（n=150）处进行访谈收集数据。本研究中收集的原始数据与最近的毛里求斯岛报告的数据进行了比较。计算了三种定量指标，包括（i）引用频率，（ii）相似比和两个岛屿之间共同使用的百分比，以及（iii）每种动物物种记录的新用途和新用途的百分比。
共报告了 32 种属于 13 个分类群的动物物种，其中 55%为脊椎动物，45%为无脊椎动物，用于治疗 38 种不同的疾病。总共用 22 种不同的动物部位和副产品配制了 73 种不同的药用制剂。最常用的动物部位是肉（21%），其次是整个身体（14%）。制剂要么口服（78%），要么局部使用（22%）。有趣的是，罗德里格斯岛特有的资源，如罗德里格斯蝙蝠（Pteropus rodricensis）和蜂蜜，以前从未研究过。罗德里格斯蝙蝠是一种濒危物种，而大白鲨则是一种脆弱物种。两个岛屿上的物种共享的药用用途范围从 0 到 50%，最相似的用途（50%）是鸽子（Columba livia）和唐纳斯贝类（Donax Spp.）。在罗德里格斯记录的动物物种的新用途比例较高（NUR≥30%），包括 Panulirus penicillatus、Ovis aries、Gallus gallus domesticus、Scutigera coleoptrata、Apis mellifera、Bos taurus 和 Capra aegagrus hircus。
罗德里格斯人拥有丰富的 ABR 知识。相信本研究将有助于在该岛进一步侵蚀这些知识之前，向科学界记录和展示这种正在消失的知识。鉴于罗德里格斯岛关于动物治疗实践的原始出版物信息很少，这项研究为生物医学的发展开辟了新的途径，试图开发替代疗法或补充现有的疗法。
