Abstract
AbstractBackground: People of Tharparkar (part of desert in
Sindh Province) have rich heritage of indigenous
knowledge and often relies on traditional methods to
manage health problems of their animals. Therefore
present study was conducted to document the usage of
medicinal plants, their preparation and application
methods for the treatment of different ailments in this
area. Methods: Semi-structural interviews, observations
and focus group discussions were used to generate
ethnoveterinary data. Observations were made to
document the type of herb used against particular
disease, dosage, route of drug administration and drug
preparation. Results: A total of 35 plants species of
veterinary importance (representing 24 botanical
families) were recorded against 15 common
ailments/conditions. The most frequently conveyedplants in the study area were Brassica campestris,
Capparis deciduas, Trachyspermum ammi, Plantago
lanceolata, Capsicum annuum, Phoenix dactylifera,
Nicotiana tabacum and Azadirachta indica. Apiaceae
followed by Fabaceae were the widely used botanical
family of the plants. Seeds, leaves, fruits, rhizomes,
bulbs, latex and husk were reported as frequently used
plant parts. The common route of drug administration
was oral followed by topical application. Pulverization
and decoctions were reported as common methods of
drug preparation. Conclusion: Plants are the frequently
used ingredients in the preparation of traditional
remedies. Farmers in the study area used the reported
medicinal plants in different health problems of cattle
and buffaloes for treatment. Study suggests that the
reported plant species may be subjected to scientific
validation in order to recommend effective preparations
and treatments.
