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Indian Peafowl used in Indian traditional medicine

on 18th December 2016
Indian Peafowl - YC Wee
Male Indian Peafowl – YC Wee

The Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is admired for the beauty of the male (above). The bird is sacred to the Hindus and mentioned in Indian mythology and Sanskrit texts. This is because the god Kartikeya (Murugan, Skanda and Subramaniyamwho) is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati and brother of Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, uses the peafowl as a vehicle (below) – see also HERE.

Murugan by RajaRaviVarma Credit Wikimedia Commons.jpg
Kartikeya with his wives by Raja Ravi Varma – Wikimedia Commons

The peafowl is supposed to have the ability to hypnotise snakes as well as make their eggs rotten, thus it is the main destroyer of snakes. With such power, is it a wonder then that the flesh of the peafowl is believed to have the property of curing snake bites? Indeed oil from the fat of the peafowl is used to cure rheumatism, gout and arthritis. This ointment is recorded in the Singhalese pharmacopoeia as a cure for sprains and dislocation of the joints.

The ash from the burnt feathers is a remedy for vomiting. The smoke from burning feathers is claimed to remove the poisonous effect from the house and purifies the environment.

Peafowl feathers showing the many "eyes." - YC Wee
Peafowl feathers showing the many “eyes.” – YC Wee

The peacock’s crest is ground to a powder and taken for health. The “eye” in the feathers is used as an antidote for rat-bite (above). These feathers are used to treat various eye problems.

S. Devasahayam commented on our earlier post “Minyak burong butbut or Crow Pheasant oil” that “In India peacock oil is considered as a cure for arthritis and the birds which are considered endangered are poached for this purpose. A consignment of peacock oil which was meant for export to Malaysia was seized in Chennai a few years ago. … Thankfully the use of birds in preparation of indigenous medicine is relatively less in India…”

YC Wee & S. Devasahayam
Singapore – India
12th December 2016

References:
1.
Lal, Krishna, 2006. Peacock in Indian art, thought and literature. Delhi, Abhinav Publications LINK.

2. McGowan, P. J. K., 1994. Family Phasianidae (Pheasants and Partridges). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 2. New world vultures to guineafowl. Lynx Editions, Barcelona. Pp. 434-552.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

2 Responses

  1. Thanks to strict wild life conservation laws in India, peafowls have now become common across the country and are often found foraging around villages and towns. In bustling cities like Delhi they even nest in porches and terraces of buildings. In fact in some states like Goa, there was a proposal to term them as ‘vermin’ along with monkeys and wild boars due to the damage they cause to farm crops.

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