Journal of Ethnopharmacology 113 (2007) 7278

Fin-shes in Yor` b natural healing practices from southwest Nigeria u a

Akindayo A. Sowunmi
Hydrobiology and Fisheries Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria Received 9 July 2006; received in revised form 23 March 2007; accepted 1 May 2007 Available online 10 May 2007

Abstract Natural healing treatment recipes from southwest Nigeria were examined for n-shes of ethnomedical importance. Fifteen families of 19 genera were identied with members found either in marine, fresh or brackish waters. Two thousand two hundred and eighty-ve recipes were examined, 9.11% contained n-sh or its derivative as component. Fertility/conception-related medical conditions have highest proportion of recipes (26.26%) with sh/derivatives as inputs. One hundred and forty-one recipes were examined for fertility-related conditions, the highest for any medical condition during this study. Clarias sp. (Clariidae) (catsh) recorded the highest rate of use (78.94%) followed by Malapterurus electricus (Malapteruridae) (electric catsh) with 5.26%. Fin-shes/derivatives were observed to have both physical and spiritual activities in treatment preparations. Most of the sh species were in need of conservation interventions. 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Nigeria; Traditional medicine; Fin-shes; Derivatives; Recipes

1. Introduction The use of plant and animal resources in natural healing practices is widespread in Africa and natural healing practitioners are usually the rst sources of intervention for health-related problems in overwhelming proportion of the population. Barnett (2000) believed that this proportion was about 80%. The premium on the use of animals and their derivatives in treatment preparations is evident in the range of available literature on diversity, uses, trade and implication for conservation (Anadu et al., 1988; Taylor and Fox, 1992; Sodeinde and Soewu, 1999; Banjo et al., 2003, 2004a,b,c; Lawal and Banjo, 2003). The information was predominantly on terrestrial animals and their derivatives. Taylor and Fox (1992) encountered only four types of aquatic animals in their survey of the biggest market on West African coast in Lom , for the sale of materials used for healing purposes. e This is in comparison with 35 species for terrestrial animals. This is perhaps the only documentation on the possible use of aquatic animals for healing purposes in the geographical area close to the present study area. The limited scientic literature available on use of aquatic animals in African traditional healing practices may be a misleading index.

The current search and screening of ethnic medicine for possible solutions to hitherto difcult conditions is not exclusive of the African continent. Additional resources will be invaluable towards this endeavour. The use of n-shes presents a window of solution. Previous studies on the use of animals in healing practices in southwest Nigeria (Sodeinde and Soewu, 1999; Banjo et al., 2003, 2004a,b,c; Lawal and Banjo, 2003) were based on interviews, not on collection of or access to information on full complement of recipes used for treating different medical conditions. The information provided on contributions of animal groups was probably skewed ab initio in favour of items available for sale, familiar to the investigators or easily accessible. Also the interviewees, usually the traders were not always in position to provide the supporting information for different animal species or their derivatives. The use of n-shes in healing practices by the Yor b s in southwest Nigeria is presented to u a broaden the current perspective of healing practices. Information presented here is based primarily on hand written family records of recipes used for generations in treatments of astonishing number of conditions from common everyday discomforts to complex conditions requiring combined physical and spiritual interventions. This information was obtained from two sources: (a) Sow` nm family: Originally from OrileKemta in the u present day Odeda local government from where the family

E-mail address: aa.sowunmi@mail.ui.edu.ng. 0378-8741/$ see front matter 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.05.011

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migrated to KemtaOkejigbo in the present day Abeokuta south local government area, all in Ogun state southwest Nigeria. The family is well known for its dedicated and knowledgeable Ifa custodians and African Yor` b natuu a ral/alternative healing practitioners of both sexes. This is the established family means of livelihood. Presently there are four generations of practitioners within the family with the oldest being 92 years old. The collection of medical recipes is partly oral and documented dating at least 200-years old. The author is from this family. (b) Od` m su (18631911) reduced the recipes of therapeuu o ` oa tics into publication titled Iw` s` n in 1905. According to Adebajo (2005) the publication was to meet the need of the difcult war period as there were no hospitals in ` eb land Ij` u during that period. Mr Joseph Ashidi graciously made a copy of this compilation available to the author. The compilation was done more than 100 years ago, giving an indication to the age of the recipes. Relying only on textual analyses of these documented recipes, I have presented in this paper information on n-sh species used in Yor` b traditional or natural healing practices in u a southwest Nigeria. 2. Methodology Identication and validation of sh species was done in stages: rst is extraction of indigenous (Yor` b ) names from u a sh-bearing recipes. Natural healing practitioners and sherfolks were consulted with these names with aim of collecting dried/preserved or fresh samples. Where sample collection was not possible, useful descriptive information was provided to assist with identication. Fisherfolks were in some cases able to provide corresponding common names. Synonyms arising from language subsets (dialects) were also reconciled. Species were validated in the museum of Department of Zoology University of Ibadan. Reed (1967), Sydenham (1977), Schneider (1990) and Idodo-Umeh (2003) were also consulted. 3. Results Total of 2285 recipes were examined, out of which 209 (9.11%) have sh, sh parts and derivatives as shown in Table 1. Altogether 15 families of 19 genera were identied (Table 2) covering marine, brackish and freshwater species. Alectis alexandrinus (Geofrey Saint-Hilaire, 1817), Alectis ciliaris (Bloch, 1788) and Raja miraletus (Linnaeus, 1758) were exclusively marine; Malapterurus electricus (Gmeli, 1789), Parachanna obscura (G nther, 1869), Parachanna africana u (Steidachner, 1879), Erpertoichthys calabaricus (Smith, 1866) and Brycinus macrolepidotus (Valenciennes, 1849) were exclusively freshwater. The remaining species live in more than one of these habitats. The proportions of their usages as herbal content are presented in Table 1. Clarias (Scopoli, 1777) (Eja aro) recorded highest occurrence of usage with 78.94%, while Malapterurus electricus (Eja ojiji) and Heterobranchus (Geoffrey St-Hilaire, 1809) and Chrysichthys (Bleeker, 1858)

Table 1 Number of recipes containing identied sh species and other n-sh inputs Yor` b names u a Eja Abor/Aro . . E Ojiji ja Eja Obokun . . . Eja Ofon . . . Eja Korowo/Okodo . Eja Akaraba/Okaraba . . Eja Osu . Eja Osan . . Eja Epiya . Eja Agbadu/Adagba . Eja Aren/Are . Eja Apata maja Miscellaneousa Number of recipes containing n-sh and n-sh inputs Total number of recipes available and examined
a

Common names

Proportions of usage

Catsh 165 (78.94%) Electric catsh 11 (5.26%0 Mudsh and Silver catsh 7 (3.35%) Threadns 4 (1.91%) Snakehead 4 (1.91%) Pompano and spadesh 1 (0.47%) Moonsh 1 (0.47%) Trunksh 1 (0.47%) Tilapia 1 (0.47%) Calabar snakesh/Reed sh 1 (0.47%) Silverside sh 1 (0.47%) Daisy stingray and Brown ray 1 (0.47%) 11 (5.26%) 209 2285

Use of sh parts and unnamed sh species.

(Eja Obokun) recorded 5.26 and 3.35%, respectively. Polydactylus quadrilis (Cuvier, 1829), Galeoides decadactylus (Bloch, 1795) and Pentanemus quinquarius (Linnaeus, 1758) (Eja ofon) and Parachanna obscura and Parachanna africana (Eja Okodo/Korowo) recorded occurrence of 1.91% each. The remaining seven species had 0.47% occurrence. Fish parts and sh-related materials (miscellaneous) used in herbal preparations recorded 5.26%. Medical indications and the required sh species are presented in Table 3. Catsh again recorded highest usage as component for 11 medical indications followed by electric catsh with 7 medical conditions. Species from the families Caranigidae, Epiphanidae, Citharinidae and Polypteridae were not encountered as components of preparations for correcting reproductive disorders in humans of either sex. Thirteen medical conditions presented in Table 4, can each be treated by at least 50 different recipes from the documents examined. Ten of these conditions have recipes containing sh and its derivatives as components, while three (leprosy, backbone ailments and general antidotes) contain no sh and sh-related inputs. Fertility/conception-related medical conditions had the highest proportions (26.26%) of recipes containing sh and sh-related inputs. Fertility-related condition recorded highest number of recipes (141) for treatment. Terms describing sh parts and sh forms specied and translations in some recipes are presented in Table 5. Terms like Eja eleyin, Eja kika, Eja onipe, Eja okun, Eja keja and Eja tutu are not species-specic but describe characteristics of suitable n-sh input. Possible activities of n-shes in preparations are exemplied by sample recipes presented in Table 6. A1 and A2 are used in fertility treatments while B is for cough treatment. Number of pieces of sh to be used in A1 is specied as six pieces. On the contrary such specication was absent in A2 and B. All have similar mode of preparation and administration. It is possible, in case of A2 and B, for the sh (catsh) to be a vehicle to facilitate consumption. These preparations contained different

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A.A. Sowunmi / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 113 (2007) 7278

Table 2 Fin-shes of enthnozoological importance in southwest Nigeria Y r` b names ou a Common names Scientic names Family Habitat M Eja . Ofon . . Eja Abori/Aro . . Eja Akaraba/Okaraba . . Giant African threadns Lesser African threadns Royal threadns Catsh Alexandria pompano African pompano African spadesh West African spadesh Mudsh Silver catsh Moonsh Electric catsh Trunksh Tilapia Polydactylus quadrilis (Cuvier, 1829) Galeoides decadactylus (Bloch, 1795) Pentanemus quinquarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Clarias Scopoli, 1777a Alectis alexandrinus (Geofrey Saint-Hilaire, 1817) Alectis ciliaris (Bloch, 1788) Chaetodiptorus goreensis (Cuvier, 1831) Chaetodipterus lippei Steindachner, 1895 Heterobranchus Geoffrey St-Hilaire, 1809 Chrysichthys Bleeker, 1858a Citharinus citharinus (Geoffrey St-Hilaire, 1809)a Citharinus latus M ller and Troschel, 1845 u Malapterurus electricus (Gmeli, 1789)a Gymnarchus niloticus (Cuvier, 1829)a Tilapia Smith, 1840a Sarotherodon R ppel, 1852a u Oreochromis G nther, 1889a u Parachanna obscura G nther, 1869a u Parachanna africana Steidachner, 1879a Erpertoichthys calabaricus Smith, 1866 Brycinus macrolepidotus (Valenciennes, 1849)a Dasyatis margarita (G nther, 1870) u Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758 Polynemidae + + + B + + + F + + + + + + + +

Clariidae Carangidae Ephippididae Clariide Bagridae Citharinidae Malapteruridae Gymnarchidae Cichlidae + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Eja Obokun . . . Eja Osu . E Ojiji ja Eja Osan . . Eja Epiya .

Eja Korowo/Okodo . Eja Agbadu/Adagba . Eja Aren/Are . Eja Apatamaja

a

Snakehead Calabar snakesh/reed sh Silverside sh Daisy stingray Brown ray

Channidae Polypteridae Characidae Dasyatidae Rajidae + + +

Species listed by Bankole et al. (1994) with conservation challenges. M, marine; B, brackish; F, freshwater.

botanicals, which are not normally consumed therefore, may posses extreme tastes. The same sh obviously have different or additional functions because a specic number must accompany other treatment preparations. In the example cited here, six pieces of Clarias must be used for the preparation. Sample recipe highlighting sh and Ifa components with corresponding translations is presented in Plate 1 and Table 7, respectively. The sh component is the backbone (vertebrae) of Clarias (opa eja aro) and specic verse of Ifa (odu/ese ` e u Ifa) is drawn from Oy` k . These odu/ese Ifa mobilize give potency to treatment attribute(s) present in the specic sh species needed for treatment. These (Table 6 and Plate 1) exemplied the multidimensional roles of n-shes in treatment preparations. Botanicals and non-botanicals are integral part of herbal preparations and treatment in the examples presented. Preparations based solely on sh species were not encountered. 4. Discussion The art of natural healing is a universal phenomenon but the practice in Nigeria has largely stagnated. The inability to present available information on medical intervention in use from time immemorial in accessible contemporary format, is believed to be largely responsible. The list of shes presented here is by no means exhaustive (personal communications) because many recipes are still in custody of many individu-

als or families reluctant to make them available. Some of these recipes will denitely contain sh or sh derivative as component. Taylor and Fox (1992) listed puffer sh, electric sh and rays along with other animals seen at a fetish market in Lom . e Details on their uses in treatments were not provided. Puffer sh listed, was not encountered in any of the recipes examined during this study. This reinforces the need to source for hidden recipes containing inputs of aquatic animals especially, n-shes. The proportion of these recipes incorporating n-shes and their derivatives is relatively low compared with the available recipes examined (209:2285) and in the selected treatment preparations (Table 4) as shown by this study. The explanation for this observation is not readily available in the absence of relevant ethnomedical data. On the basis of previous studies (Sodeinde and Soewu, 1999; Banjo et al., 2003, 2004a,b,c; Lawal and Banjo, 2003) suggestive of prodigious use terrestrial animals in healing practice. The ready availability presents a possible explanation. This ready availability of the terrestrial alternatives might have restricted the use of recipes requiring nsh inputs to only those treatment preparations where there are no potent alternatives from recipes bearing terrestrial animals. If this is the case, it means such sh-bearing recipes will be of high efcacy. The need for more practitioners and custodians of treatment recipes to make them available for documentation, scrutiny and characterization still appeared as the most compelling of all reasons.

A.A. Sowunmi / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 113 (2007) 7278 Table 3 Health conditions requiring sh as part of recipes Common names Giant African threadns Lesser African threadns Royal threadns Catsh Scientic names Polydactylus quadrilis (Cuvier, 1829) Galeoides decadactylus (Bloch, 1795) Pentanemus quinquarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Clarias Scopoli, 1777 Health conditions Enhance sperm capacity Worm expeller for women Tuberculosis Epilepsy Chicken pox Laxative Blood ukes Gonorrhea Gyneacological disorders Goitre Fevers General antidote Increase spiritual acuity

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Alexanria poimpano African pompano African spadesh West African spadesh Mudsh Silver catsh Moonsh

Alectis alexandrinus (Geofrey Saint-Hilaire, 1817) Alectis ciliaris (Bloch, 1788) Chaetodiptorus goreensis (Cuvier, 1831) Chaetodipterus lippei Steindachner, 1895 Heterobranchus Geoffrey St-Hilaire, 1809 Chrysichthys Bleeker, 1858 Citharinus citharinus (Geoffrey St-Hilaire, 1809) Citharinus latus M ller and Troschel, 1845 u Malapterurus electricus (Gmeli, 1789)

Induce or enhance spiritual foresight and acuity

Aphrodisiac Increase sperm potency Increase pregnancy probability Intestinal disorders Increase spiritual acuity Facilitate good fortunes/goodluck General antidote Aphrodisiac Intestinal disorders Epilepsy Urinary disorders Spiritual acuity Spiritual antidote and protection Facilitate easy labour Aphrodisiac Chicken pox Spiritual antidote/protection Sperm efciency/fertilization Enhance ability to predict the future Mitigate eye defects Urinary disorders Male reproductive disorders Severe fungal skin infections

Electric catsh

Trunksh Tilapia

Gymnarchus niloticus (Cuvier, 1829) Tilapia Smith, 1840 Sarotherodon R ppel, 1852 u Oreochromis G nther, 1889 u Parachanna obscura G nther, 1869 u Parachanna africana Steidachner, 1879 Erpertoichthys calabaricus Smith, 1866 Brycinus macrolepidotus (Valenciennes, 1849) Dasyatis margarita (G nther, 1870) u Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758

Snakehead

Calabar snakesh/Reed sh Silverside sh Daisy stingray Brown ray

Clarias was the choice sh both in terms of occurrence of usage in recipes and the number of medical conditions for which different preparations containing this sh can provide relief. The logic behind Clarias as the choice sh in Yor` b ethnomedicine u a is difcult to understand only from examination of recipes. If icthyogeography of Clarias is considered ready availability will be a reasonable (Haylor, 1993). On the other hand, subsequent species with reasonable rate of usage (electric catsh, mudsh, and silver catsh) in this study are all catshes and scaleless. It is equally reasonable that these physical features or conguration might have some bearing on choice of sh species. Applying

this logic to the remaining sh species (Table 2) is difcult, and there is a need for further investigation. Ajala and Jegede (2004) suggested that the prescription for the ailments is embedded in Ifa verses which describe the morphology, color, and growth patterns of components of recipes. It can therefore be concluded that Clarias sp. is a utility sh with potential for providing relief for many medical conditions. The exact function of n-shes and their derivatives in treatment preparations is quite complex if the following are considered: (i) treatment recipes required different species; some of these shes such as electric catsh, reedsh and rays are

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A.A. Sowunmi / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 113 (2007) 7278

Table 4 Conditions with more than 50 specied treatment preparations Conditions Y r` b ou a Ogun Ete Ogun Iba Ogun Igbe Orin Ogun Aran Ogun Iko Ogun Ile gbigbona Ogun Asero/Daro Ogun Atosi Ogun Awebi/Asebi Ogun ero magun Ogun Eda Ogun Eyin Ogun Apagun English equivalent Leprosy Fevers/ailments manifesting as fevers Diarrhoea Endoparasitic worms Coughs Smallpox Fertility/conception Gonorhea Antenatal/natal/post-natal treatments Antidote for consequences of sexual indelity usually suffered by males Enhance fertilization/increase sperm potency Treatments of backbone ailments General/broad spectrum antidotes 50 92 82 112 65 68 90 96 112 68 141 65 104 0 6 (6.52%) 13 (15.85%) 16 (14.28%) 7 (10.76%) 14 (20.58%) 24(26.26) 5 (5.26%) 1(0.89%) 1 (1.47%) 16 (12 05%) 0 0 No of recipes examined No of recipes containing n-sh component

Table 5 Fish parts required for some recipes Yor` b specications u a Okuta ori eja Ori eja Oju eja Opa eja Eja eleyin Eja kika Eja onipe Eja okun Eja keja Eja tutu English equivalent/translations Fish otolith Fish head Fish eyes/eyeballs Fish vertebrae Gravid sh Preserved sh Scaled sh Marine/saltwater sh Unspecied/any sh Fresh/unprocessed/unsmoked/undried sh

not ordinarily consumed (Idodo-Umeh, 2003), (ii) some treatment recipes required specic numbers (Table 7) or parts, preserved/fresh sh or sh from specic water bodies (Table 5) and (iii) some are accompanied with invocative recitals (Plate 1, Table 7). If an attempt to suggest the function is based solely on previous information on terrestrial animals (Taylor and Fox, 1992; Sodeinde and Soewu, 1999; Banjo et al., 2003, 2004a,b,c; Lawal and Banjo, 2003), shes may be mainly vehicle for making the consumption of other ingredient such as botanicals (Table 7) and other inputs (Plate 1) palate friendly. However, the additional considerations (iiii above) made it difcult to establish the full complement of function or consequences of the presence of n-shes in treatment recipes in Yor` b ethu a nomedicine.
Table 6 Selected recipes highlighting activity of sh component

It is important to state here that the Yor` b s belief that u a all creations both animate and inanimate posses latent spirituality. Then it is possible that these shes contain active ingredients or spiritual healing attribute which empirical scientic approach may be grossly inadequate at understanding. These recitals are used to mobilize spiritual attributes of the components (sh inclusive) of the preparations. It has been difcult to explain the underlying reason for the use of invocative recitals along with some treatment recipes. The earlier submission of Ajala and Jegede (2004) is also applicable here. Further, exploration of indigenous knowledge is still desirable may be the only viable solution. This is because the language of recitals is strictly Yor` b , and it was obvious that u a attempted translations (Table 7) were simply distortions. The conditions normally treated by these interventions are handled strictly by practitioners knowledgeable both in Ifa traditions and herbal interventions. These recitals are usually situation- and individual-specic. The Yor` b ethnotaxonomy of the n-shes as identied, u a has many features of what Berlin et al. (1973) and Berlin (1992) referred to as folk taxonomy. The term Eja (sh), described a . group of life forms endemic to aquatic environment. Eja rep. resents higher order taxa in hierarchy of folk taxonomy. Fish ethnotaxonomy is either binomial or multinomial in Yor` b lanu a guage and qualier(s) usually completes the sh nomenclature, as presented in Table 2. Since the n-shes identied in this study are all binomial, the second part of these names typies

Ogun Asero (Fertillity treatments) A1. Egbo igi Akokoa (root of Newbouldia laevis), Eja aro mefa (six pieces of Clarias). Sise je lale ijo ti osu ba pari (Cook and eat night of completing menstruration) A2. Oju orob (Pistia stratiotes), Eja aro (Clarias) lao se je lale ti osu na ba pari (cook and eat night of completing mensturation) B. Ogun Iko (Cough treatment) Ewe renrenc (leaves Peperonia pellucida), iyered (Piper guineense), eja aro (Clarias) ati ori (Sheabutter) lao seje (cook and eat as soup)
a b c d

Akoko, Newbouldia laevis (P. Beauv.) Seemean ex Burean (Bignoncaceae). Oju oro, Pistia stratiotes Linn. (Aracaeae). R nr n, Peperonia pellucida (Linn.) H.B.K.K. (Piperaceae). e e Iyere, Piper guineense Schum. and Thonn. (Piperaceae).

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health implications may be more profound. Treatment recipes are always inclusive of other inputs and in some cases accompanied by Ifa verses. Therefore, the precise role of these sh species was difcult to understand. More investigations with practitioners as nucleus is clearly desirable for a better understanding. Acknowledgments I am grateful to the families of Sowunmi and Cole for the provision of documents on recipes and my exposure from childhood to practices of Yor` b natural healing. I am indebted to Mr u a J.S. Ashidi of Kings College London for provision of additional documents on recipes. My sincere gratitude extends to Dr A.D. Banjo of Department of Plant Science and Applied Zoology, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria for encouragement and the supply of literature. Also Dr O.A. Sodeinde for supplying additional literature. Dr A.E. Ayodele, Department of Botany and Microbiology University of Ibadan, Nigeria assisted with identication of the botanicals in this study. Dr Adekunle Bakare, Department of Zoology Univeristy of Ibadan Nigeria, and Dr Aderemi Ajala, Department of Archaelogy and Antropology, University of Ibadan Nigeria assisted with invaluable contributions to the manuscript. I am indebted to Professor Brent Berlin for making a copy of his book Ethnobiological Classication: Principles of Categorization of Plants and Animals in Traditional Societies available to me gratis. References
`e u Adebajo, S., 2005. The Yor` b literature activities of the Ij` b people during u a the late 19th and early 20th century. International Journal of African and African American Studies 1, 17. Ajala, A.S., Jegede, O.C., 2004. Scientic construction of Ifa. In: Dopamu, A.D., Abubakre, R.D., Odumuyiwa, E.A., Olajubu, O., Omotoye, R., OguntolaLaguda, D. (Eds.), Yor` b Healing System. Religion, Leadership and u a Society: Focus on Nigeria. Nigerian Society for Study of Religion, pp. 259274. Anadu, P.A., Elamah, P.O., Oates, J.F., 1988. The bushmeat trade in southwestern Nigeria. Human Ecology 16, 199208. Barnett, R., 2000. Traditional medical practitioners in Kenya: putting theory into practice. Trafc Bulletin 18, 14. Banjo, A.D., Lawal, O.A., Ajayi, R.A., 2004a. A survey of the ethnozoological knowledge of Dragony (ODONATA) in southwestern Nigeria. Journal of Applied Science 7, 42124220. Banjo, A.D., Lawal, O.A., Olubanjo, O.A., Owolana, O.A., Ashidi, J.S., Dedeke, G.A., Soewu, D.A., Owa, S.O., Sobowale, O.A., 2003. An ethnozoological survey of insects and their allies among the Remos (Ogun State) southwestern Nigeria. Indilinga 2, 6168. Banjo, A.D., Lawal, O.A., Badejo, O.A., 2004b. A survey of ethnozoological knowledge of termites (Isoptera) in southwestern Nigeria. African Journal of Science 5, 10141024. Banjo, A.D., Lawal, O.A., Olubanjo, O.A., Owolana, O.A., 2004c. Ethnozoological knowledge and perception of the value of insects among the Ijebus (southwestern Nigeria). Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences 10, 16. Bankole, N.O., Okaeme, A.N., Ayeni, J.S.O., 1994. Conservation of endangered freshwater sh species in Nigeria. The Nigerian Field 59, 718. Berlin, B., 1992. Ethnobiological Classication: Principles of Categorization of Plants and Animals in Traditional Societies. Pub. Princeton University Press, New Jersey, 335. Berlin, B., Breedlove, D.E., Raven, P.H., 1973. General Principles of Classication and Nomenclature in Folk Biology. American Anthropologist 75, 214242.

Plate 1. Sample recipe with sh and Ifa components. (1) Ifa (spiritual) component (condition-specic). (2) Fish component (Eja Aro). (3) Other component and preparations. (4) Odu/Ese Ifa (Ifa recitals). Table 7 ` e u Translation to the invocative recitals (Oy` k ) in Plate 1 1. Ikan ki mu irin (Ikan ki mu irin) -It is impossible for termites to infest an iron 2. Ororo ki roje (Ororo ki ro oje) -Oje does not feel pain in its gall bladder 3. Ori ki fo awun -Awun does not develop headaches 4. Odo ki dun igbin (Edo ki dun igbin) -Snail does not develop painful (infected liver) 5. Ojo ki mu eja lale odo -Fishes do not experience coldness (u) in belly of waters 6. Ibi eri ekigbemi lo (Ibi eri ki e ke igbe mi lo) -You are entitled to freely gossip about me Note: Contemporary versions in parentheses. Translations as bold cases.

intermediate taxa. Polytypic genera such Eja ofon (Polynemi. dae) Eja epiya (cichlidae) and those with multiple families Eja . . Okaraba/Akaraba (Carangidae and Epipphididae), Eja Obokun . (Clariidae and Bagridae) and Eja Apatamaja (Dasyatidae and . Rajidae) were also identied. However, species having multiple names such as Eja Akaraba/Okaraba, Eja Abori/Aro, Eja . . Korowo/Okodo, Eja Agbadu/Adagba and Eja Aren/Are reected . . the existence of synonyms in Yor` b ethnotaxonomy of shes. u a A result of language subsets or dialects. These do not represent polytypism. Another consequence of paucity of information on the use of n-shes in natural healing is their contribution to the present conservation status of species. Bankole et al. (1994) showed that many sh species were facing different forms of conservation challenges. Most of the species presented here are within that category (Table 2). The issue of dwindling recipes supply for natural healing practices had received worldwide attention with proposals for solution limited to plants and terrestrial animals (Anadu et al., 1988; Taylor and Fox, 1992; Sodeinde and Soewu, 1999; Barnett, 2000). There is a need to extend this gesture to aquatic organisms, specically n-shes. 5. Conclusions In this study, information on the diversity and use of n-sh species in the Yor` b healing practices was presented for the u a rst time in a scientic format. The use of n-shes was not a common feature in comparison with terrestrial animals, but

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A.A. Sowunmi / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 113 (2007) 7278 Schneider, W., 1990. Field Guide to the commercial marine resources of the Gulf of Guinea. Food and Agriculture Organization, 268. Sodeinde, O.A., Soewu, D.A., 1999. Pilot study of the traditional medicine trade in Nigeria. Trafc Bulletin 18, 3540. Sydenham, D.H.J., 1977. The qualitative composition and longitudinal zonation of sh fauna of the River Ogun, western Nigeria. Revue de Zoologie Africaine 91, 974997. Taylor, M.E., Fox, J., 1992. The fetish market, Lom , Togo. The Nigerian Field e 57, 119125.

Haylor, G.S., 1993. Aspects of the biology and culture of the African catsh. Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) with particular reference to developing African countries. Recent Advances in Aquaculture 4, 235289. Idodo-Umeh, G., 2003. Freshwater Fishes of Nigeria (Taxonomy, Ecological notes, diet and utilization). Idodo-Umeh Pub., Benin City, Nigeria, 232. Lawal, O.A., Banjo, A.D., 2003. A survey of ethnozoological knowledge of honey bees, Apis mellifera in Ijebu division of southwestern Nigeria. Indilinga 2, 7590. Reed, W.E., 1967. Fish and Fisheries of Northern Nigeria. Kaduna Ministry of Agriculture, p. 226.