Zootherapeutics (Animal-based remedies) for urolithiasis: History, current scenario and future dimensions

Abstract

Animals like plants are also medicinal agents for the prevention and cure of different health problems all over the world practically in about all human cultures. The concept of zootherapy is very old and has strong evidence of the medicinal use of animal resources. Different animals their body parts and preparations are used in folk medicines. Zootherapy reveals that medical practitioners have always considered animals as a source of surprising and numerous therapeutic effects. A high diversity of animals, their parts and derivative products are used and this is a heritage that could constitute a fundamental step for the discovery and isolation of natural extracts and new and low-cost alternative drugs from animals. About 12% of people in the world are affected by different types of urolithiasis and the recurrence rate in female is 47-60% and in male is 70-80%. According to WHO 75% population rely on traditional medicines for the prevention and cure of different diseases. Hence there is a need to concentrate on all folk natural products effective in urolithiasis for their pharmacological evaluation, isolation of single drug molecule responsible for anti-urolithiatic activity to developed suitable formulations used against urolithiasis.