The Roles of Medicinal Plants in Organic Poultry and Live Stock

By Mohamad Hesam Shahrajabian, Wenli Sun, Diôrge Jonatas Marmitt, Qi Cheng

Eco-friendly management is important for farm animals’ health, so the use of naturally occurring compounds like herbs, herbal preparations and other botanicals are important for enhancement of overall animal health and to satisfy consumer concerns. Key considerations in organic livestock production are the origins of livestock, livestock feed, living conditions, waste management, health care and record keeping. Some of the medicinal plants which are reported in livestock production are Hypoxis hemerocallidea, Peltophorum africanum, Drimia sanguine, Elephantorrhiza elephantine, Curcuma longa, Azadirachta indica, Myrsine Africana, Ficus thonningii Blume, Vitex thomasii De Wild, Boswellia frereana, Tillandsia recurvata, Solanum incanum L., Harrisonia abyssinica Oliv., Echinaceae purpurea, Moringa oleifera, Trichilia claussenii, Artemisia absinthium, Ecklonia cava, Carcia papaya, Acacia angustissima, Sesbania sesban, Cajanus cajan, Origanum vulgare, Annona senegalensis, Picrorhiza kurroa, Azadirachta indica, Morinda citrifolia, Rheum nobile, Carduus pycnocephalus, Herba agastaches, Cortez phellodendri, Gypsum fibrosum, Chenopodium album, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Zingiber officinale, Echinacea, and Devil’s claw. Medicinal plants have been used effectively for health care treatment to make a significant increase in both health and animals’ productivity. The utilization of traditional medicinal plants is cheaper, easier and more sustainable compared to synthetic drugs and pharmaceuticals. The goal of this manuscript is to review functions of important medicinal plants in livestock production.

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