Ethnoveterinary Survey of Medicinal Plants Used for Treatment of Animal Diseases in Ambo District of Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia

Abstract

Traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants is in danger of extinction because of different changes taking place all over the world including Ethiopia, and thus, there is a need for its immediate documentation for the purpose of conservation, sustainable utilization, and development. Thus, an ethnobotanical study was conducted in Ambo District, Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia, to document and analyze local knowledge on medicinal plants used for the treatment of animal diseases. Data were collected between November 2017 and April 2018 mainly through semi-interviews conducted with purposively selected informants. Data collected mainly included demographic information of respondents, local names of medicinal plants, plant parts used, preparation methods, mode of applications, diseases treated, and habit and habitat of the reported plants. Based on data obtained through interviews, informant consensus factor (ICF) values were computed. A total of 55 medicinal plants used to manage livestock ailment were reported by informants in the Ambo District. Herbs were commonly used in the preparation of remedies. Leaf was the most frequently utilized plant part accounting for 49.1% of the total reported medicinal plants. The majority (69.0%) of the medicinal plants used in the study district were uncultivated ones mainly harvested from edges of forests and bushlands, roadsides, riverbanks, and grasslands. High ICF values were obtained for ophthalmological (0.82), dermatological (0.79), febrile (0.77), and gastrointestinal ailments (0.77). The current study shows that there is still rich traditional knowledge on the use of plants to control various animal diseases in the study district. However, such a claim needs to be scientifically verified with priority given to medicinal plants used in the treatment of ailment categories with high ICF values as such plants are considered to be good candidates for further pharmacological evaluation.

Roles of traditional medicine and traditional healers for rabies prevention and potential impacts on post-exposure prophylaxis: A literature review

“…Rich) Walp. [ 45 ]. These four plants were individually given as a crushed mixture in water for three days or until recovery [ 45 ].…”

“…[ 45 ]. These four plants were individually given as a crushed mixture in water for three days or until recovery [ 45 ]. While all four plants were administered orally, the authors reported that Phytolacca dodecandra L’Hérit.…”

“…Rich) Walp. could also be given topically [ 45 ]. Another Ethiopian remedy for animals used holy water and sometimes herbs of a nondescript nature [ 44 ].…”

The utilization and contribution of timber and non-timber forest products to livelihoods under a changing climate in the Limpopo River Basin

“…Beyond economic considerations, the utilization of natural medicines, such as Aloe vera sap, for treating diseases in poultry and small livestock is of critical importance. This not only reduces mortality rates but also constitutes an additional coping mechanism to combat frequent disease outbreaks linked to climate change [13][14][15].…”

Utilisation of Herbal Bullets against Newcastle Disease in Poultry Sector of Asia and Africa (2012-2022)

“…A lot of research data is also available which shows that plant-based home remedies are used to treat livestock diseases in Asian and African countries i.e. Pakistan (Abdisa & Tagesu, 2017;Aziz et al, 2020), India (Sikarwar & Tiwari, 2020), China (Xiong & Long, 2020), Nigeria (Onwubiko et al, 2020), Ethiopia (Berhanu et al, 2020) and Zimbabwean (Jambwa & Nyahangare, 2020), etc. The literature said, 50-70 thousand plant species are used nowadays for the treatment of different animal diseases (ERARSLAN & Kültür, 2019).…”