Boakye, Maxwell K

Dalton, Desire

Jansen, Ray

Kotze, Antoinette

Pietersen, Darren W

English

Traditional medicine has been practised in Ghana for centuries with the majority of Ghanaians still patronising the services of traditional healers. Throughout Africa a large numberof people use pangolins as a source of traditional medicine, however, there is a dearth of information on the use of animals in folk medicine in Ghana, in particular the use of pangolins.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalent use of pangolins and the level of knowledge of pangolin use among traditional healers in Ghana for the treatment of human ailments. Data was gathered from 48 traditional healers using semi-structured interviews onthe traditional medicinal use of pangolin body parts in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana. Thecultural importance index, relative frequency of citation, informant agreement ratio and useagreement values were calculated to ascertain the most culturally important pangolin bodypart as well as the level of knowledge dissemination among traditional healers with regardspangolin body parts. Our study revealed that 13 body parts of pangolins are used to treatvarious medicinal ailments. Pangolin scales and bones were the most prevalent prescribedbody parts and indicated the highest cultural significance among traditional healing practices primarily for the treatment of spiritual protection, rheumatism, financial rituals and convulsions. Despite being classified under Schedule 1 of Ghana’s Wildlife Conservation Act of1971 (LI 685), that prohibits anyone from hunting or being in possession of a pangolin, ourresults indicated that the use of pangolins for traditional medicinal purposes is widespreadamong traditional healers in Ghana. A study on the population status and ecology of thethree species of African pangolins occurring in Ghana is urgently required in order to determine the impact this harvest for traditional medical purposes has on their respective populations as current levels appear to be unmonitored and unsustainable

Teeside University's Research Repository

Knowledge and Uses of African Pangolins as a Source of Traditional Medicine in Ghana

https://research.tees.ac.uk/files/35718867/Boakye_et_al_2015_Knowledge_and_uses_of_African_Pangolins_as_a_source_of_traditional_medicine_in_Ghana.pdf

Knowledge and Uses of African Pangolins as a Source of Traditional Medicine in Ghana

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Teeside University's Research Repository