Ethno-veterinary Practices For Livestock Owners: A Study in Pithoragadh District of Uttarakhand

Abstract

Background: Livestock plays a vital role in the farmer’s life. They provide farm power, rural transport, manure, fuel, milk and meat. It provides income and employment to the small farmers. Thus, livestock has major role in rural economy. In Uttarakhand, medical facilities are very less in number. Due to unavailability of modern health facilities, poverty, connectivity with urban centre, awareness, etc. people in hilly and rural areas are still depend on traditional medicines for their health care. Some of the communities are using wild plant parts for healthcare. The indigenous knowledge of the veterinary health care system acquired by traditional herbal healers and elderly learned farmers and is orally transformed from one generation to other. Methods: Thus, a study was conducted to document the medicinally important plants used in treatment of cattle diseases by rural people living in Pithoragadh District of Uttarakhand. Interview Schedule, Participatory Rural Appraisal, Group Discussion techniques were used to identify plants and their medicinal information. Out of 219 villages under tehsil Munsyari, total five villages viz; total three villages viz; Alam, Arkhet, Baidu Mahar were selected purposively. Participatory Rural Appraisal, Group Discussion techniques were used to document the medicinal plants. Result: The investigator recorded 30 plants species to have ethnoveterinary value. These medicinal plants are highly valuable and appropriate for animal health care and management. People are dependent upon food, fruits, fodder, and medicinal plants for their healthcare. Hilly people use these traditionally available medicinal plants for animal health and believe that these are easily available, less expensive and have no side effects as compare to modern medicine. Present scenario as deforestation, tourism affects medicinal plants. Thus, conservation of these species is necessary. Proper policies should be needed to conserve the forests and medicinal plants. Attention should be made on scientific validation and proper exploitation and utilization of these medicinally important plants in animal health care.