Ethno Veterinary Approaches on Control and Treating Parasitic Diseases

Abstract

In most African countries livestock contribute 30% of total agricultural gross domestic product. More than 60% of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. Parasitic worms or helminths occur worldwide parasitizing the body of humans and domesticated and wild animals. Conventional medicine is a remedy or drug used for diagnosis, treatment of disease and for maintenance of health of an animal. Continuous use of these drugs has resulted in the development of resistance by some internal parasites. “The ability of parasites to survive doses of drugs that would normally kill parasites of the same species and stage”. In general, most of the Ethno-botanical remedies are considered as economical and safe. Furthermore, these remedies are easily available, simple to prepare and/or administer, at minute or free of cost to the farmer. Today many of the allopathic anthelmintics available in the market are either not effective or have induced resistance, resulting in recurrence of parasitic infestations. External parasites affecting different animals are ticks, mites, lice and fleas. Extract the active compounds from the medicinal plants and then test their anthelmintic activity, through in vitro and in vivo systems. Traditional medicine in Ethiopia has been widely used by various ethnic groups, about 90% of livestock population depends on traditional medicine and most of it comes from plants. Herbal medicine has not been documented adequately in Ethiopia and there is a danger that this knowledge will soon be lost as traditional social patterns are increasingly disturbed by globalization, environmental degradation, agricultural expansion, cultivation of marginal lands and urbanization.