Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevanceCombined approaches to local knowledge and folk plant use improve awareness and promote effective strategies for the conservation of significant biocultural patrimony. Moreover, the information reported might be the basis for further appropriate phytochemical and pharmacological research. Therefore we provide an insight into traditional herbal remedies and practices for healing bite injuries in humans and domestic animals caused by the Iberian wolf. Wolf bites are associated with inflammatory processes and rabies is a potential complication AimsThis paper describes and summarises the medicinal-veterinary empirical and ritual uses of the Iberian flora for wolf injuries and reviews the ethnopharmacological data of specific plants that are already published. The Iberian wolf is a critically endangered subspecies of the grey wolf. Livestock attacks attributed to wolves are increasingly frequent in the Iberian Peninsula, resulting in serious social problems. Interesting strategies for Iberian wolf conservation might be related to traditional grazing practices that are deeply linked with empirical knowledge and local practices passed on by oral tradition, which are also vulnerable now. Materials and methodsBased on documentary sources from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present, we systematically searched old monographs, regional documents, technical papers, project reports, as well as the international and national databases and the available scientific literature, without restrictions regarding the language of the publications consulted. ResultsA total of 39 remedies for healing wolf bite injuries in humans and domestic animals was reported, highlighting the medicinal use of 33 species of vascular plants, mostly wild herbs, belonging to 18 botanical families. The use of wood ashes was also reported. The number of use-reports found represents a very high number considering similar European studies. Leaves were the predominant plant part mentioned. Boiling plant materials in water for topical uses was the most frequent method of preparation found. Some traditional remedies combined two or more plant species in order to potentiate their effects. Moreover, some plant-based traditional practices and rituals to ward off wolves and to prevent wolf attacks were also documented. In these practices eleven other species (belonging to seven more families) were used. ConclusionsDespite the decline of the Iberian wolf over the last few decades, wolves are still in the imaginary of rural communities that perceive this large carnivore as both a diabolic creature and a mythic and benign animal. Wolf-related cultural heritage is of great interest in terms of conservation strategies. This review emphasises the importance of local knowledge and provides useful information about several potential sources of phytochemicals and their claimed therapeutic effects, aiming at contributing to the conservation and appreciation of the Iberian biocultural heritage.
Highlights
For many centuries, the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) was a region where wolves were abundant (Gragera, 1996; Grande del Brío, 1984, 2000; Massip, 2011; Pimenta et al, 2005)
A total of 39 herbal remedies to treat wolf bites was recorded, all of which are based on the medicinal use of 33 species of vascular plants, belonging to 18 botanical families (Table 1)
Preparations and uses mentioned have been registered within the current geographical areas of wolf distribution in the Iberian Peninsula (Fig. 2)
Summary
The Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) was a region where wolves were abundant (Gragera, 1996; Grande del Brío, 1984, 2000; Massip, 2011; Pimenta et al, 2005). The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus Cabrera, 1907), an endemic subspecies smaller than the other European wolves and exhibiting a reddish coat and characteristic dark signs –signatus– (Fig. 1) (Grande del Brío, 2000; Iglesias et al, 2017; Torres and Fonseca, 2016), is an important element of biocultural diversity (i.e. a rich patrimony combining wild resources, habitat and landscape, and cultural heritage) in the Iberian territory. More recent estimates suggest that in the Iberian Peninsula there are no more than 2500 wolves (more or less 80% in Spain and 20% in Portugal), most of the individuals occurring in a large and continuous population in the north-western region, and some others in two isolated populations in Sierra Morena (Andalusia, southern Spain) and in the southern area of the Douro River (central Portugal) (see Fig. 1) (Blanco et al, 2007; MAPAMA, 2015; Pimenta et al, 2005; Sáenz de Buruaga et al, 2015; Torres and Fonseca, 2016)
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