Veterinary herbal medicines include plant-based medicines. Their diagnostic quality are used in the immunisation or animal health care. In rural areas of India, Veterinary medicine includes small tenant’s knowledge, skills, methods, practices and beliefs about taking care of their livestock. More than 20.5 million workers are engaged in animal husbandry. In India, 87.7% of livestock, is owned by a small and semi medium-sized farmers. Approximately 3.82% of working people are involved in animal husbandry, mixed farming, fishing and hydropower during 2017-18.
In the forests of the Western Ghats, herbs are found under the trees, rich in calcium and other minerals, essential for the population. There are also poisonous plants such as Basari (Ficus virens), Kasarka (Strychnos nux-vomica). Many species of jungle plants such as forests, folks of honnemar, agase, some agase, hut, apachy vine etc. was used by the people of past generations. For example, some medicinal plants such as Kendastha (Kalanchoe pinnata), Gajjuga (Caesalpinia crista Linn), Madhu Nashini (Gymnema sylvestre), Wilderness (Dioscorea villosa) and Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) are preserved and shown. But now, these plants have been wiped out by the destruction of a forest. None of the indigenous pants grow under the acacia, eucalyptus, acacia plantation. However, acacia leaves and bark are used to treat acidity, foot disease, cough and colds. These plants are presented to the farmer under the supervision of the veterinary doctor’s consultation through Roots Goods in and around Karnataka.
Medicinal plants are:
- Adhatoda vasica (ಆಡುಮುಟ್ಟದ ಸೊಪ್ಪು)
- Cissus quadrangularis (ಅಸ್ತಿಸ್ಥ್ರಿಂಕಲನ)
- Vinca rosea (ನಿತ್ಯ ಪುಷ್ಪ)
- Aloe vera (ಲೋಳೆಸರ)
- Tinospora cordifolia (ಅಮೃತಬಳ್ಳಿ)
- Croton oblongifolius (ಸೋಮವಾರದ ಗಿಡ)
- Vitex negundo (ಲಕ್ಕಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು)
- Coleus amboinicus (ದೊಡ್ಡಪತ್ರೆ)
- Withania somnifera (ಅಶ್ವಗಂಧ)
Content Writer- Dr Venkatagiri