Black Doctor: Use of Tar in the Treatment of Animal Diseases in Antalya Veterinary Folklore

It is recorded that the earliest findings regarding the medicinal use of tar in Anatolia date back to the time of the Greek physician Dioscorides (1st century AD). It is known that tar was obtained from certain tree species growing in the southern parts of Anatolia, and that this tar was used in both medical and veterinary folk practices.

In this study, the use of yellow tar obtained from Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani), commonly known as katran tree, in treating animal diseases in the Antalya region was examined. Based on field investigations, it was found that this tar—also locally referred to as "black medicine" (kara hekim)—was used for treating both external and internal parasites, various injuries (mouth, hoof, horn, etc.), foot-and-mouth disease, snake bites, actinomycosis, abscesses, diarrhea, and even Varroa disease in bees.

Considering that its therapeutic effects are believed to stem from its composition—fatty acids, esters, ketones, alcohols, phenols, and methyl ethers of phenols—it can be argued that the use of tar for its antiseptic, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and secondary infection-preventing properties is based on rational grounds.

In conclusion, the veterinary folk practices observed in Antalya and its surroundings can be considered as a continuation of a millennia-old folkloric tradition and serve as remarkable examples of rational folk medicine applications.