Volume 145, Issues 1–2, February 2014, Pages 23–28
Efficacy of herbal tincture as treatment option for retained placenta in dairy cows
Abstract
Retained
placenta remains therapeutic challenge in cattle. Certain traditional
medicines are believed to be able to alleviate retained placenta
condition and improve overall fertility in cows. The aim of the present
study was to evaluate the efficacy of an herbal tincture for treatment
of retained placenta. The herbal tincture was extracted from a
combination of Herba Leonuri, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Flos Carthami, Myrrha and Rhizoma Cyperi by percolation with 70% ethanol to a concentration of 0.5 g crude herb/ml. Cows diagnosed with retained placenta (n = 48) were randomly divided into one of two treatment groups (A and B), with animals in group A (n = 26) receiving herbal tincture orally, and cows in group B (n = 22)
receiving oxytetracycline infusion into the uterus. Eighty six cows
with no clinically visible pathological conditions, given birth alone
and with no retained placenta diagnosis were included into control group
(C). Retained placenta was expelled within 72 h following initial
treatment in 19 cows in group A, yet no cows in group B were recorded to
expel placenta in the same time. The median number of days to first
service (70.0 vs. 102.5 days; P < 0.05) and median number of days open (76.0 vs. 134.0 days; P < 0.01)
were lower in group A than in group B. Percentage of cows pregnant
within 100 days postpartum was the highest for animals in group A
compared to controls (61.5% vs. 39.5%, P < 0.05), and for animals in group B (61.5% vs. 22.7%; P < 0.01).
Herbal tincture used in the present study might facilitate expulsion of
retained placenta and improve subsequent fertility, thus could present
effective treatment option for retained placenta in cows.
Keywords
- Retained placenta;
- Traditional Chinese veterinary medicine;
- Tincture;
- Herbal therapy;
- Dairy cow
- Corresponding
author at: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Lanzhou Institute
of Husbandry, Lanzhou City 730050, Gansu Province, PR. China. Tel.:
+86 931 2115258; fax: +86 931 2115258.
- 1
- Dongan Cui and Jianxi Li contributed equally to this work.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
