The Use of Ethnoveterinary Medicine in Goats in Lentsweletau Village in Kweneng District of Botswana

Abstract

The study was conducted to document the use of ethnoveterinary medicine in goats in Lentsweletau village in Kweneng district of Botswana. Structured questionnaires were used to collect information from 30 goat owners. The respondents were 53.33% females and 46.67% males. Seventy percent of the respondents used both modern and traditional medicine, 16.67% used modern medicine only, 10% used traditional remedies only and 3.33% used no medication on their goats. Nineteen ailments were reported, of which pasteurollosis and contagious abortion were the most frequent. The study revealed 13 plant species and other non-plant remedies which were commonly used in the treatment of diseases and the control of intestinal parasites in goats. Aloe spp. (Mokgwapha) was the most frequent plant used (17.65%). The plant was used to treat diarrhoea, cough and mange. Leaves and roots were the most frequently used plant parts used (35.29% each), followed by whole plant (23.54%) and lastly the bark (5.88%). Several non-plant remedies were reported. These included animal products like pig’s fat and a ground body of a dead old millipede. The medicinal value of the EVM documented in the present study should be confirmed in the laboratory so that they could be safely used by resource-limited farmers in the village.