Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 3(4), October 2004, pp. 442-446

Ethno-entomological practices in district,

Ranjit Singh A J A* and C Padmalatha1 Department of Biology, Sri Paramakalyani College, Alwarkurichi, E-mail: [email protected] 1Dept. of Zoology, Rani Anna Govt College for Women, Tirunelveli, 627 008 Received 1 August 2003; revised 8 June 2004

Insect based traditional knowledge on medicinal importance, although in usage from an- cient times, is still less explored. Ancient palm leaf literature reveals that numerous insect spe- cies were advantageously utilized by tribal and village physicians for medicine. Kanikars and Paliyars, the tribal people living in Western Ghats of and village physicians use insects to prepare medicine. In the present investigation, 11 species of insects used to pre- pare traditional medicine were identified and details about their therapeutic value are enumer- ated. Insects are used as medicine to cure various ailments like urinary diseases, neurological problems, hair loss, skin diseases, respiratory illness, etc. Also insects like termites are con- sumed as healthy food.

Keywords: Ethno-entomology, Medicinal insects, Termites, Beetles.

IPC Int. Cl.7: A61K35/56, A61K35/64, A61P19/02, A61P15/08, A61P27/12, A61P11/06, A61P25/20, A61P11/14, A61P25/08.

In recent days insects are targeted as a been proved to have a good therapeutic source for antibiotic and anticancer drugs. value. A report says that insects could Since insects have evolved over 500 soon graduate from being cursed as pests million years ago and flourish in all sorts to being hailed as saviours1. of habitats they must be manufacturing a Ancient palm leaf literature also speaks wide assortment of compounds to counter much about insect medicine. Insect microbes that threaten them1. The insects medicine is prepared along with plant are exposed to a cocktail of nasty bacteria drugs and given to people suffering from and fungi so that their immune system different health problems. Such practices unleashes all its power against the are common in the village areas of pathogens. Entomed, a French medical Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu company has identified two bio-active (Fig. 1). The tribal people, both Kanikars compounds from insects, which have and Paliyars of Western Ghats of ______Tirunelveli district also use insect *Correspondent author medicine. Much work has been carried SINGH & PADMALATHA: ETHNO-ENTOMOLOGICAL PRACTICES IN TIRUNELVELI 443

out on ethnobotany of these tribes, but medicine men, Vaid, tribal heads, elder less attention has been focused on people, based on the method given by ethnozoology, particularly ethnoentomo- Jain6. logy of tribal people. There are some reports on the medicinal value of Results 2-5 insects ; however less data is available Extracts of several species of insects on insects that are used in ethnomedicine. are used for preparing oils, medicine and Hence, the present study is planned to as nourishment tonics. About 11 species collect details from tribal people and of insects were used by traditional village physicians on insect species that healers. The insects with medicinal value are used to prepare medicines. were identified and the various ailments for which they were used are given Methodology below: For documentation of ethno-entomolo- gical information and collection of insect 1. Honey bee: (Apis spp., Apidae: Hymenoptera) material, tours were undertaken during Honey, wax, propolis and bee venom June 2001. Documentation consisted of are valuable medicine and are in usage interviews with 25 traditional healers, viz. since ancient time. In the study area, 444 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 3, No. 4, OCTOBER 2004

people use the honey produced by Apis 3. Silkworm (Bombyx mori, Bombycidae: Lepi- dorsata (Rock bee), Apis cerana indica doptera) (Indian bee), and Apis florea (Little bee). The cocoon of the silkworm, Bombyx There is a good demand for Rock bee mori is used as medicine. The cocoon ash honey. Rock bee honey collected during of the silkworm is used as a styptic, tonic November–December from Western and astringent to check profuse Ghats area is dark brown in colour and menstruation, leucorrhoea and chronic it is believed to have many curative diarrhoea. After boiling, the cocoon is properties. separated and the killed larvae are taken as nutrient food by some local people. Ancient palm leaf literature collected in Honey is used for curing several prob- this area also revealed that the cocoons of lems. It is given to old people and chil- the silkworm have an aphrodisiac dren every day by mixing it with water or potentiality. Its ashes were also used to milk. Honey is also used to cure skin treat eye infection and catarrh. abrasions, small cuts, ulcers, mouth ulcers and wounds. It is also used as a vehicle 4. Cochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus, Dacty- for plant medicine that are used to treat lopiidae: Hemiptera) cough, even whooping cough, asthma, Cochineal insects are seen on the fever and dyspepsia. Cleaned termites and xerophytic plants like Cactus. The insects earthworms are put into honey and that are collected, crushed, put into boiling honey is given to children suffering from water and then dried to prepare powder. respiratory problems. The honeycomb of The powder is used to treat whooping the Little bee, Apis florea yields little cough. The powdered form of this insect amount of honey but it has a great me- has sedative properties and is also mixed dicinal value than the honey produced by with country made liquors. other species. Honey collected from the 5. Velvet ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis, Mutilli- hives of Apis florea is a good remedy for dae: Hymenoptera) respiratory problems. For throat infection It is a bright scarlet ant with velvety or any inflammation, honey mixed with appearance. The dried specimen of the ant is lime (calcium carbonate) is applied on the powdered and used as nerve tonic and as affected area. Traditional healers use bee antispasmodic. The powder of this ant is wax to prepare medicine to treat fistula, mixed with honey and given to patients piles and rheumatic pain. suffering from paralysis. Along with bees wax, the powder of this ant is used to 2. Cucurbita bug (Aspogonopus janus, Penta- prepare ointment to treat inflammation. tomidae: Hemiptera) Entire bugs are crushed with herbal 6. Ant (Dorylus labiatus, Formicidae: Hymenop- extracts prepared from plants and applied tera) on skin, where leucoderma patches There is a saying that “Eating thousand appear. The treatment is carried out for 40 ants gives strength like that of an days. elephant”. These ants are collected, put SINGH & PADMALATHA: ETHNO-ENTOMOLOGICAL PRACTICES IN TIRUNELVELI 445

into honey and after a fortnight the honey both for external applications as well as is taken to strengthen nervous system and for internal administration. Powdered to restore good health. The household shellac is mixed with honey and is used black ants, Componotus compressus and as remedy for caries. “Lakshadi Thaila”, Monomorium spp. are also used as used to bring down chronic fevers and to medicine. cure rheumatism has shellac as its main ingredient. As a drug, it has germicidal, 2 7. Weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina, Red tree febrifuge and astringent properties . Lac ant, Formicidae: Hymenoptera) is also used to prepare medicine along These ants called “Musuru” in Tamil, with plants to cure liver problems, cough, are commonly seen on mango trees. The epilepsy, neural problems and fever. ants construct nests by webbing the leaves together. If disturbed, they bite and 10. Blister beetle (Mylabris spp., Meloidae: Col- cause annoyance. Inside the nest they eoptera) have eggs. The eggs of this ant have Like the “Spanish fly” Lytta several medicinal properties. From (Cantharis) vesicatoria, the blister beetle several ancient palm leaf literature, it is belonging to Mylabris genus, yields learnt that the eggs of this insect are used cantharidin. Cantharidin is prepared by to prepare medicine with several species drying the beetle. A tincture prepared of medicinal herbs and administered to from cantharidin is used to treat urinary patients suffering from tetanic fever, ear diseases and externally as vesicant and pain, high fever and even malarial fever. counter–irritant. It is also used as diuretic. The eggs are also used to prepare Its powder is used to prepare oils to cure aphrodisiac medicine. The secretion used headache and hair fall. Species of by this ant to build the nest has Mylabris yield a larger amount of 4 antibacterial activity. cantharidin than Lytta spp. .

8. Preying mantid (Hierodula ocellata, Manti- 11. Termite (Macrotermis spp., Termitidae: Is- dae: Dictyoptera) optera) The ootheca of this insect is collected Termites are consumed by local and powdered. It is mixed with milk and population as a nutritive product. The given to patients suffering from alate swarms of termites are harvested on pneumonia. rainy days and roasted with maize or rice and taken as delicious food. The roasted 9. Lac insect [Laccifer lacca (Kerr), Lacciferi- rice with termites gives a very pleasant dae: Hemiptera] flavour. Children with weak health are Lac insect is an economically given this preparation. important insect yielding a resinous secretion called lac. Lac insects are Termites are put into honey for 21 days cultivated to produce lac, which is used to and taken as a drug for vigour and prepare shellac. Shellac has several vitality. Termite powder in honey mixture medicinal properties. It is widely used is given to cure wheezing, bronchial 446 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 3, No. 4, OCTOBER 2004

problems, and also as diuretic. The soil However, there is no detailed information taken from termite mounts (Termitorium) on various insects that are used and on is used to cure skin diseases and several experimental studies to prove their local traditional physicians give “Termite validity. After the survey, efforts are mount soil bath” to cure many diseases. being made through several experimental Local people use entire termites, the studies to find out the antibacterial, stored fungal bed of termites, eggs, and immunomodultory and disease curing soil of termitorium for various ailments. properties of termites, weaver ants and blister beetle. Discussion In the present study, information on Acknowledgement insects used by traditional healers and The authors are thankful to Dr R S local population of Tirunelveli district of Pandian, and Dr P D Pazham for the Tamil Nadu is highlighted. In several identification of insects. Facilities other countries, different species of provided by Sri Paramakalyani College insects are taken as nutritious food. But in are acknowledged. , only in selected places some insects are used as food and as medicine. References As insects are able to survive in odd 1 Sharma R C, Medical Entomology – New role environment, their entire body or produce for Insects, Science Reporter, 39 (2002) 10. 2 David B V, Elements of Economic Entomol- has many pharmaceutical properties. ogy, (Popular Book Depot, Chennai, India), Unlike the herbal medicine, the insect 2001, 85. medicine is less explored and is still 3 Ranjit Singh A J A & Dhasarathan P, Medici- confined to tribal people. Allantian nal Value of Animals and their Products, (Sri Nanthi Kalangium, M S University Pub- isolated from secretions of fly maggots lication), 2002, 40. has properties of healing deep wounds 4 Duraisamy Muthaliar S, Agasthiar Thaila and cantharidin isolated from the blister Methods, (Bhuvenesvari Publishers, Chennai), beetle, Lytta vesicatoria is useful to treat 1927. urinary diseases2. A Tamil book, 5 Imms A D, Text Book of Entomology, (Methuen & Co Ltd., London), 1965. “Rajavaithiyapothini”, published in the 6 Jain S K, Methods and Approaches in Ethno- year 1914 describes the medicinal value botany, (Society for Ethnobotanists, of the eggs of weaver ants, “Musuru”. Lucknow), 1989.