Table 4. Animal species used by the Chinese community in Mauritius.
Animal/ Scientific name/ Family | Part used | Indication | Preparation and administration | FOC | UV | FL (%) |
Ant/ Pachycondyla verenae/ Formicidae | Whole body | Premature graying hair | Fried and eaten | 2 | 0.04 | 100 |
Beef/ Bos taurus/ Bovidae | Meat | Cold, chesty cough, lung problems, pulmonary abscess-promotes coughing of thick sputum | Boiled with pumpkin flesh and seeds in soup and added with seasonings | 9 | 0.19 | 100 |
Centipede/ Scolopendra morsitans/ Scolopendridae | Whole body (Dried) | Painful headaches, spasms and convulsions, seizures | Decoction. About 1-3 g in water. | 3 3 |
0.13 | 50 50 |
Chicken/ Gallus domesticus/ Phasianidae | 1. Bones and legs 2. Gizzard |
1. Regaining strength when having fever 2. Kidney stones |
1. Cooked in soup wiht salt, pepper, garlic, tomatoes and carrots. Consumed twice a day until feeling better 2. Cooked and consumed frequently |
6 5 |
0.23 | 55 45 |
Cockroach/ Blatta orientalis/ Blattidae | Whole body (Wingless) | Amenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain due to blood statis | Killed by boiling in water and left to dry in sun | 3 1 |
0.09 | 75 25 |
Deer / Lucanus cervus/ Cervidae | 1. Horn 2. Musk (navel gland secretion) |
1. Painful headaches 2. Facilitates downward passage of stillborns |
1.Fatty substance from horn is wrapped around the head using a cloth 2. Powdered form. Consumed orally |
4 4 |
0.17 | 50 50 |
Domestic goat/ Capra aegagrus hircus/ Bovidae | 1. Bones Meat 2. Milk |
1. Pain in joints and bones due to lack of calcium 2. Similar to breast milk; can be given to feeble, malnourished infants fatigue |
1. Cooked in soup with salt, pepper, garlic, tomatoes and vegetables. Consumed frequently 2. Fresh milk consumed |
7 2 1 |
0.17 | 70 20 10 |
Frog/ Rana clamitans/ Ranidae | Whole body (Dried) Meat | Wounds, bleeding, rheumatism | Boiled in water and applied with washcloth or cooked and eaten | 2 1 |
0.06 | 67 33 |
Leech/ Hirudo medicinalis/ Hirudinea | 1. Whole body 2. Secretion |
1. Amenorrhea, constipation 2. Inflammation of middle ear |
1. Killed by boiling, cut length-wise, dried in the sun, then cooked or ground into powder for oral use 2. Secretion is collected from leech and used topically |
2 1 1 |
0.09 | 50 25 25 |
Lizard/ Lacerta sp./ Lacertidae | Secretion | Eye inflammation | Secretion is collected and applied topically | 2 | 0.04 | 100 |
Lobster/Metanephrops spp./Nephropidae | Flesh | Measles | Mix cornstarch with the lobster lightly to coat the pieces. Heat up oil in a frying pan, deep fry for 1 min. Add ginger, salt, sugar and pepper | 8 | 0.17 | 100 |
Pigeon/ Columba livia/ Columbidae | Whole body | Anaemia | Pigeon is throttled so as not to lose any blood when it is killed. It is then cooked in a soup and consumed frequently | 5 | 0.11 | 100 |
Sea horse/ Hippocampus sp./ Syngnathidae | Whole body (Dried) | Arthritis, asthma, impotence, renal failure | Cooked in soup wiht salt, garlic, pepper, tomatoes. Consumed once in 2-3 weeks. | 2 1 3 2 |
0.17 | 25 13 37 25 |
Shark/ Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos/ Carcharhinidae | Fin | Renal failure | Cooked in soup with salt, pepper and garlic. Consumed once a week. | 3 | 0.06 | 100 |
Snail/ Helix pomatia/ Helicidae | 1. Saliva 2. Slime |
1. Wounds and injuries 2. Pain associated with rheumatism |
Slime and saliva are collected from snail and applied topically | 4 2 |
0.13 | 67 33 |
Snake/ Serpentes sp./ Colubridae | 1. Meat 2. Skin (Dried) |
1. Sore throats, hemorrhoids 2. Skin diseases, acne, boils |
1. Cooked in soup with salt, pepper, garlic. 2. Powdered form and applied topically |
1 2 2 |
0.11 | 20 40 40 |
White earthworms/ Enchytraeus buchholzi/ Megascolecidae | Whole body | 1. High fever, influenza 2. Ear infections |
1.Washed then made into a decoction to drink 2. Ground and made into a paste and applied to infected area |
1 2 |
0.06 | 33 67 |
FOC=Frequency of citation, UV=use value, FL=Fidelity level