Essential Minerals Content in the Ethnozoological Products Used in the Folklore Medicines by the Tangkhul Tribe of Manipur, India

Abstract

Background: Manipur lies in the north-eastern region of India under the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot having a rich variety of flora and fauna. Tangkhul tribes are main habitant of the Ukhrul district of Manipur and popular for using the products of animal fauna as traditional medicines for curing many human diseases. No study has been carried out so far on the essential minerals level of the ethnozoological products used in the traditional medicines by the Tangkhul Naga tribe of Manipur. The objective of the study is to determine the essential minerals content in the thirteen (13) selected ethno zoological products namely, Periplaneta americana, Pheretima pusthusma, Heterometrus bengalenesis, Cybister tripunctatus, Sclopendra gigantea, Hoplobatrachus tigerinus, Tylototriton verrucosus, Python molurus(Skin part), Python molurus(fat portion), Upupa epops,  Cervus unicolor, Sus domesticus, and Melursus ursinus and correlate with their uses in the indigenous folklore medicines by the Tangkhul Naga tribe of Manipur. Ethnozoological products were collected using semi-structural questionnaires from the local medicinal practitioners as well as from the old men and women. Essential major and minor minerals content were evaluated for the first time using ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry), one of the most powerful techniques for its quick multi elemental analysis capability and high sensitivity to detect and characterize the minerals. The result of the study revealed that four major minerals namely Calcium (Ca), Potassium (K), Sulphur (S) and Magnesium (Mg) and trace minerals like Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Cobalt (Co), Selenium (Se) and Vanadium (V) detected in mg/Kg unit were present in varying concentrations in the ethno-zoological products with high and notable concentration of Ca, K, Fe and Zn. The results of the present study support the therapeutic usage of these ethnozoological products in the folklore practices for curing various human diseases by Tangkhul Naga Community of Manipur.