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Use of black vulture (Coragyps atratus) in complementary and alternative therapies for cancer in Colombia: A qualitative study

May 2012 · Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 8(1):20

DOI:10.1186/1746-4269-8-20
Source · PubMed

Authors:

Magda Gamba Andrés González

Ricardo Sánchez-Pedraza
National University of Colombia Instituto para la Evaluación de la Calidad y Atención en Salud - IECAS

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Citations (10) References (48) Figures (2)

Abstract and Figures

Background: Although Coragyps atratus has been used as a traditional therapy for patients Discover the world's
with cancer, the scientific literature does not contain enough information on how this research
therapy is used or the mechanisms that explain this therapeutic practice. Objectives: To
20+ million
understand the methods of use and the reasons given by patients and caregivers for the
members
use of Coragyps atratus in cancer treatment. Methods: This study used a qualitative design
based on twenty in-depth interviews of patients with cancer or caregivers of patients with 135+
the disease. The analysis of the text was based on an inductive thematic approach. million
Results: Resistance to disease and immune enhancement are properties attributed to publications
Coragyps atratus when used for cancer treatment. The most recommended method of use 700k+
is fresh blood ingestion, and the associated mechanism of action is transfer of immune research
factors to the individual who consumes it. Conclusions: Use of Coragyps atratus as a Join for free
projects
treatment for cancer is a popular alternative therapy in Colombia. More studies are needed
to understand the clinical effects of this intervention in cancer patients.

Type of American Black

neoplasms… Vulture. America…

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Sánchez-Pedraza et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2012, 8:20

http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/8/1/20 JOURNAL OF ETHNOBI
AND ETHNOMEDICINE

RESEARCH Open A
Use of black vulture (Coragyps atratus) in
complementary and alternative therapies for
cancer in Colombia: A qualitative study
Ricardo Sánchez-Pedraza1,3*, Magda R Gamba-Rincón2,3 and Andrés L González-Rangel3

Abstract
Background: Although Coragyps atratus has been used as a traditional therapy for patients with cancer, the
scientific literature does not contain enough information on how this therapy is used or the mechanisms that
explain this therapeutic practice.
Objectives: To understand the methods of use and the reasons given by patients and caregivers for the use
Coragyps atratus in cancer treatment.
Methods: This study used a qualitative design based on twenty in-depth interviews of patients with cancer o
caregivers of patients with the disease. The analysis of the text was based on an inductive thematic approach
Results: Resistance to disease and immune enhancement are properties attributed to Coragyps atratus when
for cancer treatment. The most recommended method of use is fresh blood ingestion, and the associated
mechanism of action is transfer of immune factors to the individual who consumes it.
Conclusions: Use of Coragyps atratus as a treatment for cancer is a popular alternative therapy in Colombia. M
studies are needed to understand the clinical effects of this intervention in cancer patients.
Keywords: Complementary therapies, Neoplasms, Qualitative research, Falconiformes, Zootherapy

Spanish abstract
Introducción: Aunque Coragyps atratus se usa tradicionalmente como terapia para pacientes con cáncer, no
suficiente información en la literatura científica sobre su forma de utilización ni sobre los mecanismos explicat
que subyacen a esta práctica terapéutica.
Objetivos: Conocer métodos de utilización y mecanismos explicativos dados por los pacientes y cuidadores d
pacientes sobre el uso de Coragyps atratus en el tratamiento del cáncer.
Materiales y métodos: Diseño cualitativo basado en veinte entrevistas en profundidad de pacientes con cán
cuidadores de pacientes con esta enfermedad. Análisis de texto basado en enfoque temático inductivo.
Resultados: Al Coragyps atratus se le atribuyen propiedades de resistencia y fortalecimiento del sistema inmu
personas enfermas de cáncer. La forma de utilización mas común es la ingesta de la sangre fresca y el mecan
de acción asociado es la transferencia de defensas a quien lo consume.
Conclusiones: La utilización del Coragyps atratus como tratamiento para el cáncer es una terapia alternativa u
popularmente en Colombia. El uso de este animal debe estudiarse más a fondo para conocer los efectos clíni
en los pacientes con cáncer.

* Correspondence: rsanchezpe@unal.edu.co
1
Department of Medicine, National University of Colombia, Bogotá, DC,
Colombia
3
Clinical Research Group, National Cancer Institute, Ave 1 # 9 – 85, Bogotá,
DC, Colombia
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article

© 2012 Sanchez Pedraza et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of
Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Citations (10) References (48)

... Some species are used in traditional medicine (8 in São Mamede, 5 in Solânea, and 1 in Lagoa) ( Table 2),
corroborating other studies in Brazil and worldwide [17,49,[58] [59] [60][61][62]. These studies noted that birds are
frequently used for medicinal purposes in local cultures, either through the use of body parts or the whole bird. ...
... In the present study, the use of body parts of Coragyps atratus, such as the feet and toasted feathers to make tea for
the treatment of fatigue and alcoholism (to stop drinking), was recorded. The use of parts of C. atratus was reported in
other studies, for several therapeutic purposes, such as the treatment of asthma [17,21, 59, 60,62], earache [21],
alcoholism [17,60], and alternative therapies in the treatment of cancer [59]. However, Bezerra et al. [60] emphasised
that, in the case of alcoholism treatment, the patient cannot know he/she is ingesting the traditional preparation of
toasted feathers. ...
... In the present study, the use of body parts of Coragyps atratus, such as the feet and toasted feathers to make tea for
the treatment of fatigue and alcoholism (to stop drinking), was recorded. The use of parts of C. atratus was reported in
other studies, for several therapeutic purposes, such as the treatment of asthma [17,21,59,60,62], earache [21],
alcoholism [17,60], and alternative therapies in the treatment of cancer [59] . However, Bezerra et al. [60] emphasised
that, in the case of alcoholism treatment, the patient cannot know he/she is ingesting the traditional preparation of
toasted feathers. ...

Local knowledge, use, and conservation of wild birds in the semi-arid region of Paraíba state, northeastern Brazil
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... En Colombia se ha reportado prevalencia de uso de terapias complementarias y alternativas variable con prevalencia
de más del 50%, encontrando dentro de las más usadas las terapias biológicas o relacionadas con alimentación 8,9, 13
. Esta investigación es la primera aproximación en la costa Caribe Colombiana, para estimar el uso de productos o
alimentos con mayor frecuencia de consumo relacionados con terapias complementarias y alternativas, las fuentes de
información, formas de consumo, tiempo de consumo y reporte del uso de este tipo de terapias a un profesional de la
salud. ...

Caracterización del uso de terapias complementarias y alternativas relacionadas con la alimentación en pacientes
oncológicos de un centro hospitalario de Cartagena, Colombia
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... Furthermore, by-products derived from birds such as the blood ingestion derived from American Black Vulture
(Coragyps atratus) appear to show anticancer activity against hematopoietic system cancer cell lines [70] . ...

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Eva María Domínguez-Martín · Joana Tavares · Patrícia Rijo · Ana María Díaz-Lanza

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... C'est en cela que affirment que les Touracos interviennent dans plusieurs recettes de traitements à la fois. Toutefois,
au regard des travaux de Kizungu (1998) 14 Chez les Gouro de la Marahoué, la libération du pouvoir pharmacologique
des produits secondaires des oiseaux est très souvent renforcée par l'association à d'autres ingrédients (Sánchez-
Pedraza et al., 2012 ; . Cette assertion est soutenue par Nikolaus (en 2001), lorsqu'il a travaillé sur les oiseaux que les
populations utilisaient dans la pharmacopée nigériane. ...

Données ethnozoologiques sur l’utilisation des oiseaux dans la médecine traditionnelle chez le peuple Gouro de la Marahoué
de Côte d’Ivoire (Afrique de l’Ouest)
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Tih Mathieu Koue Bi · Hilaire Yaokokore Beibro · Benoît Kouadio Kasse · Philippe Kouassi Kouassi

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... Vulture parts are often sold in traditional medicine markets even today (Ogada et al. 2015) as they are thought to
transmit the birds' acute vision and immune defenses, as well as facilitating communication with ancestors (Houston
2001;Mundy et al. 1992;Pollard 1977; Sánchez-Pedraza et al. 2012; Thompson 1966). In Christian Greece, however, the
association of death with evil and many Biblical stories that associate vultures with wars and catastrophes (e.g., Ps 79,
Ode 2:24, Gn 40:19) have led to the perception of vultures as illfated and evil creatures (Chatzimihali 1957). ...

Bound Eagles, Evil Vultures and Cuckoo Horses. Preserving the Bio-Cultural Diversity of Carrion Eating Birds
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Kalliopi Stara · Lavrentis Sidiropoulos · Rigas Tsiakiris

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... In many Latin-American countries, high-level scientific professional associations are studying TN-CAM, especially in
the field of phytotherapy, with an ongoing debate and advances since the mid XX century [24] [25][26][27]. ...

The state of the integrative medicine in Latin America: The long road to include complementary, natural, and traditional
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