The faunal drugstore: Animal-based remedies used in traditional medicines in Latin America

Throughout human history, people have used various materials from nature to cure their illnesses and improve their health [1]. Traditional human populations have a broad natural pharmacopoeia consisting of wild plant and animal species. According to the World Health Organization, 80 percent of the developing world's rural population depends on traditional medicines for its primary healthcare needs [2]. In many parts of the world, traditional medicine is the preferred form of health care, and remains the most available and affordable form of therapy in low income countries [3]. Ingredients sourced from wild plants and animals are not only used in traditional medicines, but are also increasingly valued as raw materials in the preparation of modern medicines and herbal preparations. Nature has been the source of medicinal agents for thousands of years, and an impressive number of modern drugs have been isolated from natural sources, many based on their use in traditional medicine [1].The use of biological resources for various therapies has been documented in many different parts of the world [4-16]. Plants and animals have been used as medicinal sources since ancient times [1,2,17-22], and even today animal and plant-based pharmacopeias continue to play an essential role in world health care [1,2,4]. Although plants and plant-derived materials make up the majority of ingredients used in most traditional medical systems globally, whole animals, animal parts, and animal-derived products (e.g., urine, fat, etc.) also constitute important elements of the Materia Medica [2,23-25].The use of organs or parts of animals as medicine is the basis of many traditional therapeutic practices [25]. Zootherapy is the treatment of human ailments with remedies made from animals and their products [2]. As Marques [26] states, "all human culture which presents a structured medical system will utilize animals as medicines". The phenomenon of zootherapy is marked both by a broad geographic