Abstract:
Gastrointestinal disorders generally occur due to contaminated food or some pathogenic microorganisms like bacteria, parasite and fungi. In Pakistan, the livestock industry accounts for over 61.89 percent of the agricultural sector, 14.0 percent of the GDP, and the production of milk accounts for around 65,745 tons. However, gastrointestinal nematodes pose a serious threat to this significant area of agriculture. Haemonchus contortus is one of the most pathogenic abomasal parasites of small ruminants found in tropical and subtropical regions. Haemonchosis is caused by a blood-sucking gastrointestinal nematode, H. contortus, also known as the “barber pole” or stomach worm. The clinical symptoms of haemonchosis include anorexia, poor growth, weight loss, poor wool quality and reduced milk production, severe anemia resulting in a high mortality rate and huge economic losses in small ruminant production system. Regular administration of drugs has led to several issues, including developing resistance in nematode parasites, such as the reported appearance of multi-resistant H. contortus. In addition, smallholder farmers often lack the financial resources to afford the somewhat high prices of commercially available anthelmintic medications to maintain a steady treatment regimen. Therefore, it is crucial to find natural anthelmintic solutions that are less harmful, biodegradable, and ecological friendly to address the complex problem of parasite resistance. Many plant species worldwide have been reported and studied for their potential to yield natural bio-products that can be used to manage parasite diseases and reduce the need for toxic chemotherapy. The present study was aimed to document the detailed knowledge of ethnomedicinal plants used against gastrointestinal nematodes infections in small ruminants of district Dera Ismail Khan. Questionnaires were used for data collection. Total 28 plants belonging to 21 families were found to be used in ethnoveterinary practices. Seeds were found to be the most frequent plant part used followed by leaves. Ethnoveterinary recipes for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders were mostly prepared in the form of powder and decoction. Preference ranking results showed that Allium sativum, Brassica Rapa, Centratherum anthelmisticum, Citrullus colocynthis, Foeniculum vulgare, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Punica granatum, Trachyspermum ammi, Triticum aestivum, Withania coagulans and Zingiber officinale were the most preferred plant species for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Present survey paper provides the efficacy and reliability of ethnoveterinary practices and also invites the attention of chemists, pharmacologist and pharmacist to further explore the medicinal plants that could lead toward the development of novel veterinary drugs with low cost and fewer side effects. However, further detailed studies are necessary to discover new clinically effective anti-parasitic agents and to cope with the drastic current issue of parasite resistance. Conservation strategies should be adopted for the protection of multipurpose plant species.
Page(s):
17-17
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Abstract Book on International Conference on Food and Applied Sciences (ICFAS-23) 3-5 August 23, Volume: 0, Issue: 0, Year: 2023
Keywords:
Medicinal plants
,
Haemonchus contortus
,
Ruminants
,
Gastrointestinal Nematodes
,
Dera Ismail Khan