a
Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
b Division of Organic Farming, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
b Division of Organic Farming, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
Abstract
The use of medicinal
plants and other natural multicomponent remedies might be one measure to
reduce the use of antibiotics in livestock. Ethnoveterinary research
has the potential to identify promising natural remedies. The knowledge
about remedies for livestock was collected from farmers in six central
Swiss cantons, Glarus, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Zug and Uri.Between
February and April 2013 49 interviews with 63 farmers (25 females and 38
males, aged 24-74) were conducted. We collected information on the
manufacturing of 370 homemade remedies. Of these, 114 contained no
plants, 26 contained a mixture of two to five plants, and 230 contained
one plant species (defined as homemade single-herbal
remedy report (HSHR)). These 230 HSHRs represented 68 plant species
belonging to 35 different botanical families. Thirteen species were
reported for the first time for ethnoveterinary use in Switzerland.
Matricaria recutita, Calendula officinalis, Urtica dioica and Coffea
were the most frequently used ingredients of HSHR. A total of 278 use
reports (UR) were described for the 230 HSHR, (233 UR for treating
cattle). Treatment of skin disorders (QD), gastrointestinal diseases and
metabolic dysfunction (QA) were the most frequently mentioned uses for
these remedies. Fewer uses were linked to treatments of the respiratory
system (QR), the genito-urinary (QG) and musculo-skeletal systems (QM).
In the categorie QA the most UR were described for Matricaria recutita,
Linum usitatissimum, and Camellia sinensis. Quercus robur was mainly
used to treat diarrhoea in calfs, Coffea Arabica to treat general
gastrointestinal troubles, colic, abdominal pain or diarrhoea, and
Arthemisia absinthium to treat general gastro-intestinal disorders,
diarrhoea or lack of appetite. For four orally administered plant
species (Artemisia absinthium, Avena sativa, Citrus x limon, Quercus
robur) daily oral doses were determined for the first time (median:
0.03, 6.16, 0.01 and 0.58 g dry plant equivalent per kg0.75).
In the category QD the most often described plant species were
Calendula officinalis, Matricaria recutita, Picea abies, Sanicula
europaea and Senecio ovatus. For the latter two plant species we
determined for the first time an ethnoveterinary based concentration in
the finished product (median: 0.13 and 0.39 g dry plant equivalent per
100 g finished product).Medicinal plants are known, and used by farmers
of central Switzerland mostly
for treatment of skin and gastrointestinal diseases. According to recent
pharmaceutical and human clinical research several plant species
documented in this ethnoveterinary study are worth to be further
investigated in clinical trials with livestock. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.
Author keywords
Central Switzerland (Glarus, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Uri, Zug); Ethnoveterinary research; Livestock diseases; Medicinal plants
ISSN: 18711413Source Type: Journal
Original language: English
DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2016.05.003Document Type: Article
Publisher: Elsevier
Walkenhorst, M.; Department of Livestock Science, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse 113, Switzerland; email:michael.walkenhorst@fibl.org
© Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
© Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
