Ethno-Medicinal Practices with Animal Products in The Garhbhanga Reserve Forest in North-Eastern India

The present ethno-zoological study describes the traditional knowledge related to the use of different animals and their body parts as medicines by the Garo tribes of the 5 forest villages inhabiting the Garhbhanga Reserve Forest of the Assam-Meghalaya state border, India. Data on therapeutic uses of animals were collected through in-depth interviews with 40 key informants (24 men and 16 women). Nineteen animals or animal products were recorded and they are used for treating about 34 illnesses. The common diseases treated through zoo-therapeutics are- jaundice, malaria, tuberculosis, asthma, toothache, myalgia, weakness, anaemia, paralysis, constipation, dysentery, scorpion poisoning, cough, epilepsy and joint pain. The zoo-therapeutic knowledge was mostly based on domestic animals, but some protected species like wild boar, jackal, sambar, python and some species of the cat, etc. were also mentioned as important medicinal sources. The present work reveals the ethno-medicinal knowledge of Garo tribe. The study warrants further ethnomedical research to record the ethno-zoological information comprehensively. Also, the implications of these ethnomedical practices on the protection of endangered animal species are to be understood.