Research Paper Documentation and quantitative analysis of local ethnozoological knowledge among traditional healers of Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India M. Chellappandian a , P. Pandikumar a , S. Mutheeswaran a , M. Gabriel Paulraj a , S. Prabakaran b , V. Duraipandiyan a,c , S. Ignacimuthu a,c,n , N.A. Al-Dhabi c a Division of Ethnopharmacology, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600 034, Tamil Nadu, India b Zoological Survey of India, Southern Regional Center, Santhome High Road, Chennai 600 028, Tamil Nadu, India c Department of Botanyand Microbiology, Addriyah Chair for Environmental Studies, College of Science, King Saud, University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia article info Article history: Received 21 January 2014 Received in revised form 14 March 2014 Accepted 14 March 2014 Available online 28 March 2014 Keywords: Medicinal animals/animal products Quantitative ethnozoology Tamil Nadu India abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance: This study investigated the use of animals among the traditional healers in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, India. The data regarding the medicinal animals/animal products were documented and their usages were analyzed quantitatively. Materials and methods: Based on free list interviews with the traditional healers, we documented the medicinal usage of animals/animal products and calculated the indices such as informant consensus factor (F ic ) to determine the consensus over the species for an illness category, as well as the Index Agreement on Remedies (IAR) to determine the extent of potential utilization of each species. Results: In this study, 69 medicinal animals/animal products were documented with the help of standardized questionnaires among the local healers. The results were tabulated and F ic value for each illness category was calculated. Three illness categories viz., jaundice (milk of Capra aegagrus hircus), orthopedics (egg white and meat of Gallus gallus domesticus) and pediatrics (milk of Equus africanus asinus) had got high F ic values. Fifteen illness categories had moderate F ic values. Highly cited animals in these illness categories were: Rusa unicolor (antiemetic), Reticulitermes spp. (diabetes), flesh of Varanus benghalensis (oral ailments), milk (eye ailments, fever) and urine (antidote) of Homo sepians, meat of Trachypithecus johnii (respiratory ailments), various parts of C. aegagrus hircus (blood ailments, coolants, diarrhea, pulmonary and urinary ailments), flesh of Chamaeleon zeyalnica (neural ailments), meat of Passer domesticus (aphrodisiac), curd and dung of Bos primigenius taurus (dermatological ailments), meat of G. domesticus (musculo-skeletal disorders, analgesic), meat of Lissemys punctata (hemorrhoids), and Pherthima posthuma (psychological ailments). Six illness categories had low F ic values. Conclusion: This study indicated that the animals are still being used by the local healers of Theni district, to treat various illnesses. Cross-disciplinary approaches to explore the full potential of animal-derived medicines will help to improve the health of local people. & 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Biodiversity has been the source for therapy in different cultures since ancient times. A major portion of the people dwelling in Western Ghats relies on traditional medical system, because their livelihood is based on their local environment. The people are trained in the usage of natural systems for their living in the form of food and medicine and other uses. As other traditional communities, they also have the knowledge about the usage of biological diversity, through their traditional expertise and organization reflection. The source for the raw drugs in traditional systems of medicine is very wide such as medicinal plants, minerals, animals and marine organisms (Biswas and Mukherjee, 2003). The animals have also been used for healing purposes in many parts of the world, where traditional methods of zootherapy have been devel- oped (Costa-Neto, 1999; Lev, 2006). The uses of medicinal animals/ animal products remain a recognized and traditional way to treat ailments and are often used (sometimes in association with plant Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jep Journal of Ethnopharmacology http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2014.03.028 0378-8741/& 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. n Corresponding author at: Division of Ethnopharmacology, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600 034, Tamil Nadu, India. Tel.: þ91 44 2817 8348; fax: þ91 44 2817 5566. E-mail address: entolc@hotmail.com (S. Ignacimuthu). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 154 (2014) 116–130