How beliefs in traditional healers impact on the use of allopathic medicine: In the case of indigenous snakebite in Eswatini.

Snakebite is a major public health problem in Eswatini and serious envenomations can be responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality if not treated correctly. Antivenom should be administered in hospital in case of adverse reactions and any delays due to distance, transport, costs, antivenom availability and cultural beliefs can be critical. Myths and superstition surround snakes, with illness from snakebite considered a supernatural phenomenon best treated by traditional medicine since healers can explore causes through communication with the ancestors. Traditional consultations can cause significant delays and the remedies may cause further complications. Four rural focus group discussions were held in varying geographical regions to establish why people may choose traditional medicine following snakebite. The study revealed four themes, with no apparent gender bias. These were 'beliefs and traditions', 'logistical issues', 'lack of knowledge' and 'parallel systems'. All snakes are feared, regardless of geographical variations in species distribution. Deep-seated cultural beliefs were the most important reason for choosing traditional medicine, the success of which is largely attributed to the 'placebo effect' and positive expectations. Collaboration and integration of the allopathic and traditional systems assisted by the regulation of healers and their methods could improve future treatment success. The plight of victims could be further improved with more education, lower costs and improved allopathic facilities.

Medicinal plants used to treat snakebite in Central America: Review and assessment of scientific evidence.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Every year between 1.2 and 5.5 million people worldwide are victims of snakebites, with about 400,000 left permanently injured. In Central America an estimated 5500 snakebite cases are reported by health centres, but this is likely to be an underestimate due to unreported cases in rural regions. The aim of this study is to review the medicinal plants used traditionally to treat snakebites in seven Central American countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was performed on published primary data on medicinal plants of Central America and those specifically pertaining to use against snakebites. Plant use reports for traditional snakebite remedies identified in primary sources were extracted and entered in a database, with data analysed in terms of the most frequent numbers of use reports. The scientific evidence that might support the local uses of the most frequently reported species was also examined. RESULTS: A total of 260 independent plant use reports were recorded in the 34 sources included in this review, encompassing 208 species used to treat snakebite in Central America. Only nine species were reported in at least three studies: Cissampelos pareira L., Piper amalago L., Aristolochia trilobata L., Sansevieria hyacinthoides (L.) Druce, Strychnos panamensis Seem., Dorstenia contrajerva L., Scoparia dulcis L., Hamelia patens Jacq., and Simaba cedron Planch. Genera with the highest number of species used to treat snakebite were Piper, Aristolochia, Hamelia, Ipomoea, Passiflora and Peperomia. The extent of the scientific evidence available to understand any pharmacological basis for their use against snakebites varied between different plant species. CONCLUSION: At least 208 plant species are traditionally used to treat snakebite in Central America but there is a lack of clinical research to evaluate their efficacy and safety. Available pharmacological data suggest different plant species may target different symptoms of snakebites, such as pain or anxiety, although more studies are needed to further evaluate the scientific basis for their use.

Taxonomical outlines of bio-diversity of Karnataka in a 14th century Kannada toxicology text Khagendra Mani Darpana.

Origin of ancient Indian toxicology can be dated back to vedic literature. Toxins of both animate and inanimate world were very well understood during the era. Rig and Atharva vedic texts describe such details. After classifying such toxins, Charaka Samhitha, the basic literature of Indian Medicine used gold and ghee as panaceas to counter act them. Ayurveda considers toxicology as one among the eight specialized branches of medical wisdom. Unfortunately, the available literature on this is very limited. Moreover, they have been discussed briefly in Charaka and Sushrutha Samhitha. Mangarasa I, a Jain scholar who lived on the foothills of the Western Ghats, in Southern India in 1350 A.D., felt this vacuum and composed an independent, elaborate Kannada text on toxicology. His less known text Khagendra Mani Darpana (KMD) is the first ever documented complete text on toxicology in the world. Medieval Indian wisdom on plant and animal diversities are very well reflected in this unique toxicological text. Centuries past to Linnean era, KMD gives vivid descriptions on zoological and botanical diversities of the time. This astonishing fact is an evidence of our ancestor's curiosities about the nature around them. A critical overview of the bio-diversity described in KMD text is discussed in this paper.

Correlation between annual activity patterns of venomous snakes and rural people in the Niger Delta, southern Nigeria

Background: Venomous snakes are among the most serious health hazards for rural people in tropical regions of the world. Herein we compare the monthly activity patterns of eight venomous snake species (Elapidae and Viperidae) with those of rural people in the Niger Delta area of southern Nigeria, in order to identify the periods of highest potential risk for persons, and the human group actually at greater risk of snakebite. Results: We documented that above-ground activity of all venomous snakes peaked in the wet season, and that high snake activity and high human activity were most highly correlated between April and August. In addition, we documented that women and teenagers were at relatively higher risk of encountering a venomous snake than adult males, despite they are less often in the field than men. Conclusions: Our results suggest that future programs devoted to mitigate the social and health effects of snakebites in the Niger Delta region should involve especially women and teenagers, with ad-hoc education projects if appropriate. We urge that international organizations working on social and health problems in the developing world, such as IRD, DFID, UNDP, should provide advice through specific programs targeted at especially these categories which have been highlighted in comparatively potential higher threat from snakebites than adult men.(AU)