Traditional veterinary practices associated with cattle healthcare in Marwar region of Rajasthan

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to document ethnoveterinary plants and their formulation techniques in an unexplored region of India and to select candidate medicinal plants with high consensus factor and fidelity value for further in vitro investigation. Informants (55) were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 50 plants belonging to 35 families were used to treat cattle ailments in study area. Mostly whole plant and leaves (36 and 30%) were used in recipes formulation mostly in the form of decoction. Almost all plant parts were being used for medicinal purposes but whole plant (36%) was the most frequently used plant part followed by leaves (30%) and roots, fruits, seeds and others (8% each), respectively. Local farmers used these ethnomedicines to treat their cow. Gastrointestinal infections were found more common and majority of the plants were used against cow ailments. Recovery time of majority of the recipes was three to four days. Aged farmers and nomads had more traditional knowledge as compared to younger ones. Plants with high plants values could be further investigated in vitro for the search of some novel bioactive compounds and young generation should be educated regarding ethnoveterinary practices.