ITK in Veterinary Science

Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa (Rutaceae) [bael or bel fruit]'Vilvam', 'Vilva'. A deciduous, armed tree. Flowers white, fruit immature green, mature yellow; commonly cultivated.The fruit is roasted and the contents carefully removed. A paste is prepared with water and used as a poultice to treat swollen and painful joints in cattle.

Allium cepa L. cv. group Common Onion (Liliaceae or Alliaceae) [onion]'Vengayam'. An erect bulbous herb with white flowers; cultivated for its edible bulbs.A mixture of 250 g onion bulbs and 250 g solidified jaggery (unrefined brown sugar made of palmwine derived from fruit of the toddy palm Borassus flabelifer L.) is pounded into a dry paste. This is administered orally each morning for ten consecutive days, to stimulate the virility and reproductive performance of bulls.

Ceiba pentandra (L.) Geartn. (Bombacaceae) [kapok, white silk-cotton tree]'Elavam', 'Ilavamaram'. A large, branched deciduous tree; cultivated.The leaves are pounded together with fermented boiled rice water and the extract is administered to cows orally as a remedy for reproductive problems. Dose: approx. 500 ml three times a day for three consecutive days.

Calotropis gigantea (L.) Dryander (Asclepiadaceae) [gigantic swallow root, ginat milk weed, swallow wort]'Erukku'. An erect, branched herb or subshrub with milky latex. Flowers purple; common in waste places.A handful of leaves are crushed and given orally to cattle to make them more alert and active.

Cissus quadrangularis L. (Vitaceae) [quadrangular cissus]'Perandai'. A climbing shrub with tendrils. Stem quadrangular. Flowers greenish-yellow; common along hedges in fields.The whole plant is crushed into paste and given orally to newborn calves to facilitate removal of the placenta: after swallowing the paste, the calf will start to vomit.

Datura metel L. (Solanaceae) [hindu datura]'Karu-oomathai', 'Oomathai'. An erect herb or subshrub. Flowers white; common in waste places. A seed paste mixed with water is applied to the patella (knee cap) area in cattle, to relieve pain and swelling.The paste is also used to treat eczema and other skin problems.

Erythrina suberosa Roxb. (Leguminosae)'Mullu Murungai'. An armed, deciduous tree with trifoliate leaves. Flowers dark red; cultivated.The leaf paste is mixed with water and given orally to cattle as a cure for severe coughing and bronchitis.

Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet (Leguminosae) [hyacinth bean]'Avarai'. A climbing herb with trifoliate leaves. Flowers pinkish violet; cultivated. The leaf paste is applied to boils and sores to draw out the pus.

Indigenous vetrinary Knowledge- tamilnadu

Solanum surattense Burm. f. (Solanaceae) [nightshade]'Kandakathiri'. A diffuse, prostrate, armed herb. Flowers purple, fruits globose, immature green; common.The leaves of this plant are made into a paste with thuthuvalai (Solanum trilobatum) and hot water. The extract is mixed in neem oil (Azadirachta indica) and given orally to cattle as a remedy for all types of chronic cough.

Tamarindus indica L. (Leguminosae) [Indian tamarind]'Puli'. A large, branched tree. Flowers light-yellow; cultivated.The leaf paste is applied as a poultice, to reduce pain and swelling in the joints of cattle.

Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllaceae) [ground burnut]'Nerunji'. A prostrate herb with yellow flowers; common on wasteland.The seed paste is given orally to newborn calves to facilitate removal of the placenta (cf above, Cissus quadrangularis).

Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberacea) [ginger]'Ingi'. An erect herb with rhizome; cultivated. A paste is made up which consists of 10 g each of dry ginger, pepper, asafoetida (Ferula asafoetida), and sweet flag (Acorus calamus) in hot water. This extract is administered orally to cattle as a cure for gastric problems.

Yemen: Women's indigenous technical knowledge on sheep operations

Women in the Dhamar Montane Plains of Yemen have more responsibility for animals than for crop production. The livestock that households own can include stall-fed cows, donkeys, goats, poultry, rabbits and camels. All family members are involved in extensive sheep raising. Women too are involved in all aspects, taking on a larger role in herding during the peak agricultural season and during Ramadhan. It is fairly common for women to spend up to five hours a day on livestock production. Women have exclusive control over intensive sheep production. A 1994 IFAD study describes some of the indigenous technical knowledge that Yemeni women have on sheep fattening and related matters.
Women in this region have indigenous knowledge about the characteristics and requirements of each breed and the adaptation of each breed to its environment. They differentiate between breeding flock and fattening flock, and among different husbandry policies (e.g. continuous versus occasional breeding). Women think in terms of four types of fattening and relate these to the breed and to whether the animals graze, scavenge or are pen-fed. In terms of animal reproduction, indigenous knowledge covers mating, selection and fecundity, and lambing interval and season. Women have knowledge about the effects of breed and feed on reproduction. Their knowledge also covers flock separation to control breeding, milk production and different weaning practices.
Women have extensive indigenous knowledge of the nutritional requirements of their animals and the effect of feed intake on animal growth rates. Women alone cultivate and harvest alfalfa for sheep. They have a special technique for cutting it to avoid losing plant leaves. Women also collect kitchen waste, grain, pulses and weeds for sheep. They avoid giving sheep sorghum stover as it hinders the preparation of dung cakes, which are used for fuel. Women give ewes extra food supplements immediately after lambing to help them 'recover' from the birthing process.
Women also possess indigenous veterinary knowledge. They differentiate between four types of diseases for sheep and watch for coughing, wheezing and mucous discharge as well as bloating and digestive ailments. They attribute bloat to fresh alfalfa and wet grass and can treat it effectively if detected early enough, using oil or Pepsi Cola. This illustrates the modification of indigenous knowledge with modern ingredients. Women are also conscious of the relationship between animal housing (including ventilation) and animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and mange.
These Yemeni women are also aware of the relationship between lactation and weaning. The study notes that the women claim that complete weaning of lambs creates a shorter lactation period than does partial weaning. The lactation period is of interest to them because they like to make soft cheese (laban) from fresh sheep's milk. Women can also detect differences in the quality of milk, which they attribute to feed.
Yemeni women thus have extensive indigenous knowledge of sheep fattening matters, and it is important to take this into consideration in any related development initiatives.

indigenous knowledge

Indigenous knowledge of plants used by the Santal and Lodha tribes of Medinipur district, West Bengal, India, for treating various livestock diseases was documented. The data were collected through observations and interviews in 4 tribal villages in Binpur and 4 tribal villages in Jhargram. In addition, key informant techniques were used to assess the level of indigenous knowledge among the villagers, in particular the village medicine men. The plants used by the Santal and Lodha people and their medicine men for treatment of different animal diseases are tabulated. From authors' summary. KEYWORDS: TROPAG veterinary medicine traditional technology indigenous knowledge ethnobotany drug plants animal diseases disease control INDIA West Bengal.

hello

hi friends,

I am a practising VET in INDIA. Experiencing a huge indigenous veterinary knowledge bank with farmers but not scientifically validated. Farmers have vast experience in field of animal husbandry and having their treatment for various disease before calling VET. They are having treatment even for FMD like diseases.
Round the globe, VETs would encounter this situation. These methods are wonderfully working but need more and more use so they can be validated and recommended for larger application. These methods are natural.
friends, share and send me your experience about indigenous veterinary knowledge in your area. Practise this knowledge and provide feedback.