Eel Ichthyofauna of Assam in Folklore Therapeutic Practices.

Over the past, plants and animals have been playing role in traditional therapeutic practices of the tribal and non tribal indigenous people of Assam. Ethnozoological study on eel fishes of Assam revealed the special significance of two eel species Anguiila bengalensis (Indian mottled eel) and Monopterus cuchia (Swamp eel) among indigenous people and the use of the fishes in various traditional medical practices. Besides oral consumption of fish, various body parts, either in mixture with other plant or animal material or alone are used traditionally in treatments of anaemia, burn injury, piles, weakness etc. In this current study, conventional taxonomy of these two species is reviewed with documentation of their therapeutic utilization.