Survey of Veterinary Herbal Folk Medicine and Its Threats in West Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

In developing countries, like Ethiopia, livestock production remains crucial and represents a major asset among resource-poor farmers. However, the economic benefit of livestock population is limited due to the prevailing livestock diseases. In Ethiopia, plant remedies are still the most important and sometimes the only sources of therapeutics for human and livestock population. The objective of this study is to document the traditional herbal livestock medicines and knowledge used by elders in the study area. The objective of the study is to identify threats of veterinary Herbal Folk Medicine in West Arsi Zone. A total of fifty four traditional healers were interviewed; and 54 medicinal plant species which are grouped into 31 families were identified in the study area. About 33 livestock ailments were treated and the most common ailments identified in the study area were bacterial and parasitic infestations. The majority of the plants were gathered from the wild and combined with those collected from home garden, based on the knowledge of local elders. The principal route of drug administration was oral followed by topical, nostrils and both oral and topical. Accordingly, medicinal plants play crucial role for the livestock owners. Yet, owners face continues threats from the environment due to timber work, agricultural expansion, overgrazing, deterioration of oral transmission of knowledge and dose related problems. Therefore, the researcher recommends efforts to conserve medicinally important plants, minimize forest clearing and over grazing, and illegal timber works. Plants which have medicinal value should be domesticated from the forests; ethno veterinary knowledge should be documented; budget should be allocated for further scientific investigation; and special attention should be given to indigenous and seasonally available medicinal plants.