Medicinal plants used in the treatment of livestock diseases in Vhembe region, Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

Traditional medicine (TM) is very important among Venda speaking people but the available literature does not cover the ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) uses. Open ended questions and group focus discussion were used to investigate the knowledge of EVM in the region. Thirty-seven (37) individuals with an average age of 48.2 years were interviewed of which 24 were males and 13 females. EVM practices involved the use of plants as remedies collected from the wild and prepared mainly as infusions and decoctions for internal use and leave sap for local applications. Cattle, followed by sheep and goats were predominantly owned by old men who treat by themselves their livestock for worm and tick infestations. There were 47 indications in total prepared from leaves, followed by bark of 34 plant species belonging to 22 plant families. The families with more species were Fabaceae (6 species), Asteraceae and Rubiaceae (3 species each) and, Combretaceae and Euphorbiaceae (2 species each). Literatures on laboratory investigations have shown that some of the plants recorded possess multiple biological properties. Further studies on chemical composition and subsequent biological properties are required for validation purpose. Key words: Venda, ethnoveterinary, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Rubiaceae, nutraceutical.