Zoo Therapeutic uses of Snake Body Parts in Folk & Traditional Medicine

Search for bioactive molecules from natural products emerged as new arena of research from the onset of 19th century. Some of the molecules proved effective in the field of biomedical application, especially in alleviating human pain and suffering. Natural products despite being an alternative source of drug discovery there is shortage of lead compounds from it getting into pharmaceutical research probably because of lack of compatibility between the source and high-throughput screening. Natural products are classified into two major classes depending upon its source of origin: plant and animal based natural product. Snakes and its body parts (blood, meat, fat, bile, venom, shed skin) have been used in folk and ethno medicine of various cultures since ancient time for zoo therapeutic purposes. This present review aims to report the folk and traditional medicinal uses of snake and its body part.

Keywords: Snake meat, Snake fat, Snake bile , Snake bone, Snake oil, Snake shed skin, Zoo therapeutic application.