Herbal feed additives are frequently used in dairy farms but only little information
about their effects is available. The aim of this study was to determine the influence
of a commercial herbal feed additive (HFA) containing mainly Urtica dioica L. (herba), Silybum marianum (L.) Gaert. (fructus), Artemisia absinthium L. (herba) and Achillea millefolium L. (herba) on health and performance of dairy cows. A stratified (farm, age, calving
date) randomized placebo (PL) controlled field study was conducted including 280 cows
(6 – 14 per farm) from 30 German and Swiss farms. From 14 days before calculated calving
date until the 300th day of lactation 100 g HFA or 100 g green meal as control (PL)
were fed daily to each cow. The amount of concentrate fed (CA) and the milk recording
data (milk quantity; content of fat, protein and urea; somatic cell score (SCS)) were
monitored for the first four monthly lactation controls of each individual cow. A
mixed model was applied whereby study group (HFA and PL) was defined as fixed factor,
farm as random effect, and CA as covariate. In the mixed model, cows receiving HFA
showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower SCS than placebo while all other parameters
were not influenced by the study group (Table 1).
Tab. 1: Effects of a commercial herbal feed additive (HFA) compared to a placebo (PL) on
milk parameters including somatic cell score (SCS) calculated in mixed models including
farm as random effect and concentrate as covariate. Significance (p-value) and standard
deviation (SD)
|
milk recording
|
milk parameter
|
study group
|
p-value
|
other significant factors*
|
|
HFA (SD)
|
PL (SD)
|
|
1
|
Milk (kg)
|
32 (9)
|
32 (9)
|
n.s.
|
fa, co
|
|
Fat (%)
|
4.3 (0.9)
|
4.4 (0.8)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
Protein (%)
|
3.2 (0.4)
|
3.2 (0.4)
|
n.s.
|
-
|
|
Urea (mg/dl
|
15 (7)
|
16 (7)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
SCS
|
2.9 (2.0)
|
3.5 (1.9)
|
0.007
|
fa
|
|
2
|
Milk kg
|
34 (10)
|
34 (9)
|
n.s.
|
fa, co
|
|
Fat
|
3.9 (0.7)
|
3.9 (0.7)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
Protein
|
3.0 (0.3)
|
3.0 (0.3)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
Urea
|
18 (8)
|
17 (8)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
SCS
|
2.5 (2.0)
|
3.1 (2.0)
|
0.001
|
fa
|
|
3
|
Milk kg
|
32 (9)
|
32 (9)
|
n.s.
|
fa, co
|
|
Fat
|
3.8 (0.7)
|
3.8 (0.7)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
Protein
|
3.1 (0.3)
|
3.0 (0.3)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
Urea
|
19 (7)
|
18 (8)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
SCS
|
2.5 (1.9)
|
3.1 (2.0)
|
0.016
|
fa
|
|
4
|
Milk kg
|
29 (8)
|
29 (9)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
Fat
|
4.0 (0.7)
|
3.9 (0.6)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
Protein
|
3.2 (0.3)
|
3.1 (0.3)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
Urea
|
20 (8)
|
19 (8)
|
n.s.
|
fa
|
|
SCS
|
2.7 (1.6)
|
3.3 (1.9)
|
0.007
|
fa
|
|
*p < 0.05; fa = farm, co = individual amount of concentrate fed
|
Increased somatic cell scores (SCS > 3), as main sign of udder inflammation and generally
linked to bacterial infection, is one of the most important recent health problems
and cause for the most antibiotic treatments in dairy cows. Direct anti-inflammatory
and immunostimmulative effects of U. dioica and A. millefolium might be a reason for the reduced SCS in the HFA group [1, 2]. Also indirect effects
of S. marianum and A. absinthium could play a role: both plants are well known to protect liver cells in vitro and in vivo [3, 4], which is the main producer of proteins for the innate immunity, but highly
stressed in early lactation [5]. Further research is needed to clarify the concrete
mode of action.
Acknowledgement: Special thanks go to the farmers, who participated at the study and
facilitated with their support the collection of data. We gratefully acknowledge funding
of this project by Saluvet GmbH.
Keywords: Herbal feed additive, cow, udder health, Urtica dioica, Achillea millefolium, Silybum marianum, Artemisia absinthium.
References:
[1] Hajhashemi V, Klooshani V. Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of Urtica dioica leaf extract in animal models. Avic J Phytomed 2013; 3: 193 – 200
[2] Pires JM, Mendes FR, Negri G, Duarte-Almeida JM, Carlini EA. Antinociceptive peripheral effect of Achillea millefolium L. and Artemisia vulgaris L.: both plants known popularly by brand names of analgesic drugs. Phytother Res
2009; 23: 212 – 219
[3] Hackett ES, Twedt DC, Gustafson DL. Milk thistle and its derivative compounds: a review of opportunities for treatment
of liver disease. J Vet Intern Med 2013; 27: 10 – 16
[4] Amat N, Upur H, Blazeković B. In vivo hepatoprotective activity of the aqueous extract of Artemisia absinthium L. against chemically and immunologically induced liver injuries in mice. J Ethnopharmacol
2010; 131: 478 – 484
[5] Zhou Z, Xu MJ, Gao B. Hepatocytes: a key cell type for innate immunity. Cell Mol Immunol 2015, doi 10.1038/cmi.2015.97
