Traditional Latvian herbal medicinal plants used to treat parasite infections of small ruminants: A review.

Alīna Kļaviņa,Līga Kovaļčuka,Dace Bandere,Renāte Šukele,Dace Keidāne

doi:10.14202/vetworld.2021.1548-1558

Alīna Kļaviņa, Līga Kovaļčuka + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2021.1548-1558

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Abstract

Numerous treatment agents offering prophylaxis against livestock parasites are commercially available. However, because of increasing antiparasitic drug resistance, the increased popularity of environmentally friendly lifestyle choices, and organic farming, there is more demand for new alternatives to livestock anthelmintic control strategies and medications. It is important to develop antiparasitics that are safe, effective, inexpensive, and environmentally safe. Local, traditional herbal plants such as tansy, mugwort, wormwood, and heather may serve as treatments for intestinal parasites of sheep. This overview provides knowledge of traditional Latvian plants with antiparasitic activities to establish a database for further research to develop new herbal antiparasitic drugs.

Highlights

Small ruminants, sheep and goats, occupy an important ecological and economical niche in Latvian agriculture
It is important to develop antiparasitics that are safe, effective, inexpensive, and environmentally safe. Traditional herbal plants such as tansy, mugwort, wormwood, and heather may serve as treatments for intestinal parasites of sheep
This overview provides knowledge of traditional Latvian plants with antiparasitic activities to establish a database for further research to develop new herbal antiparasitic drugs

Summary

Introduction

Sheep and goats, occupy an important ecological and economical niche in Latvian agriculture. Ruminants convert poor foodstuffs into important products such as milk, meat, and wool for human consumption [2]. Poor, overgrown, and wet fields serve as reservoirs for parasites of sheep such as Fasciola hepatica, Paramphistomum spp., Heamonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus axei, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Trichuris ovis, and Monezia expansa [3] that cause widespread infections of sheep [4]. Diverse endo- or ectoparasites affect sheep; and their adverse effects on health, production, and welfare are robustly documented [5,6]. Trichostrongylidae infection is among the major challenges to ovine health management because of deleterious disease-caused effects and emerging antiparasitic drug resistance to available manufactured veterinary anthelmintics worldwide [4,7]

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