Systematic review on ethno-zoological study and animal driven products to treat malaria in Ethiopia

Abstract

In many underdeveloped countries, including Ethiopia, malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Plant- and animal-derived traditional remedies have been used to treat diseases, including malaria, as a complementary and alternative medicine. However, no compiled study has reported the use of animals for managing malaria at the national level. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the medicinal animals and their parts/products used to manage malaria in Ethiopia. Published studies on ethno-zoology and traditional medicinal animals were collected from the following bibliographic databases: PubMed, Scopus, Hinari, ResearchGate, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect. Articles were searched using different keywords separately and in combination with Boolean operators “OR” or “AND,” as well as Medical Subject Heading [MeSH] terms. Ethno-zoological studies that did not address malaria were excluded. All data were entered and extracted using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Eight articles were eligible and included in this study out of all the articles obtained from the database search. Eleven (11) medicinal animals were reported for the treatment of malaria in Ethiopia. Of these, most (82 %) were from the mammalian group. Cows were the most commonly used traditional medicinal animals for treating malaria, followed by sheep. Meat (18.2 %) was the most reported medicinal part, followed by milk (13.6 %). Most animal-based traditional remedies were administered orally, either by drinking (57.1 %) or by eating (33.3 %). Therefore, proper attention should be given to conserving these medicinal animals, and preventing the associated knowledge.