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Table 1 Use of pangolin body parts and the prescribed conditions treated, Use Report (UR) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) categories

From: Ethnomedicinal use of African pangolins by traditional medical practitioners in Sierra Leone

Parts

Conditions treated

Use report

ICD categories

Scales

Skin disease, impotence, infertility, broken ribs, stomach diseases, inflammation of the navel, bulletproof, cutlassproof, athlete's foot, claw hand, nail disorders, healing premature babies, heel fissure, arthritis, rheumatism, epilepsy, ear infection, body pain, elephantiasis, waist pain, healing wound, skin rash, protection from witchcraft, broken bones, spiritual protection and skin scars

70

12

Oil

Skin rash, skin stretch marks, heel fissure, skin diseases, knee pain, skin scars, heart diseases, claw hand, elephantiasis and body ache

27

5

Meat

Healing premature babies, stomach diseases, rheumatism, epilepsy, high blood pressure, for increasing intelligence, body pain, common childhood diseases, convulsion and anaemia

23

9

Head

Infertility, headache, antidote for poison, skin diseases, mental illness, toothache, heart disease, paralysis, hernia and claw hand

21

10

Tail

Impotence, spiritual protection, Apollo (acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis), paralysis, claw hand, convulsion, fainting, stomach diseases, protection against snake bite, curse sting from scorpion, waist pain, elephantiasis and heel fissure

20

10

Foot

Heel fissure, back pain, elephantiasis, athlete's foot and broken bones

7

4

Tongue

Rheumatism, stop/control bleeding, mental illness, piles and fainting

7

4

Bones

Skin scars, healing wounds, stiffness of joints, rheumatism and joint pains

7

3

Blood

Healing wounds, elephantiasis, rheumatism, stomach diseases, heart diseases and protection against witchcraft

7

6

Male sex organ

Hernia, headache, elephantiasis, athlete's foot, infertility and impotence

6

5

Intestines

Stomach diseases, headache and for good luck

5

3

Claws

Protection from witchcraft, skin stretch marks, asthma and heart burn

4

4

Brain

Heart diseases, mental illness and stomach diseases

4

3

Heart

Stomach diseases and heart diseases

3

2

Whole animal

Leprosy and invisibility

2

2

Toes

Apollo and epilepsy

2

2

Thorax

Chest pain and broken ribs

2

2

Forefoot

Impotence and elephantiasis

2

2

Eyes

Apollo

2

1

Throat

Goitre

1

1

Sex organ (both male and female)

Infertility

1

1

Liver

Asthma

1

1