A decade of clinical research and applications of ethnoveterinary knowledge in India – the pragmatic way of facilitating medicinal plants to replace synthetics in animal health and production

The ethnoveterinary herbal research and training centre of TANUVAS in India has been involved in documentation, pre-clinical and clinical evaluation and dissemination of traditional knowledge-based herbal preparations in treating various clinical conditions of livestock such as mastitis, enteritis, pox, foot and mouth disease, gastro-intestinal disorders, infertility, wounds, parasitic worms etc., for the last 15 years [1 – 4]. Preclinical and clinical assessment of mastitis (using fresh Aloe vera (L) Burm. f., Curcuma longa L. powder and calcium hydroxide, mixed with water and prepared fresh every day), inducing ovulation (using Murraya koenigii (L) Spreng.) and hepato-protective potential of select herbs have been done in the past six years under the Indian council of Agricultural Research National network on ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) outreach programme. The assessment of mastitis under clinical conditions has been done in over thousand cows, and a few buffaloes and goats involving thousands of farmers and hundreds of field veterinarians in the three southern states of India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka). The product comprising of Aloe vera (L) Burm. f., Curcuma longa L. powder and calcium hydroxide has been developed by the centre, has been cross validated by the lead centre at Indian Veterinary Research Institute and reported to have 100 per cent potential to contain the somatic cell count and prevent sub-clinical mastitis in cows. Over 18,000 farmers and 600 veterinarians have been trained in ethnoveterinary practise for primary health care of livestock, in collaboration with FRLHT Trans disciplinary University) of Bangalore [5]. In this talk, examples of the successful use of fresh functional herbal remedies by farmers and veterinarians in mastitis, enteritis, udder pox, chicken pox, goat pox, foot and mouth disease, gastro-intestinal disorders in livestock and poultry will be presented.

Acknowledgements: Indian council of Agricultural Research and Government of Tamil Nadu for financial assistance.

Keywords: Ethnoveterinary practices, functional herbal remedies, mastitis, foot and mouth disease, enteritis, pox, anthelmintics, organic livestock production.

References:

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