Indigenous knowledge and antimicrobial properties of plants used in ethnoveterinary medicine
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Date
2015
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Namibia Press
Abstract
The use of chemical pesticides and pharmaceutical drugs to manage livestock pests and diseases is anathema to the environment and leads to the development of resistance. Most resource-poor farmers also face problems, such as inaccessibility, unaffordability and inappropriate use of chemical pesticides and drugs. Faced with these constraints, livestock farmers in Namibia and other African countries turn to indigenous knowledge as an alternative option and as a key to unlock the power of plants to control various vectors and diseases of livestock. Utilization of plant extracts as ethnoveterinary medicines (EVMs) is perhaps one of the most sustainable methods readily adaptable to rural livestock-farming communities. Plants identified as herbal remedies in the management of livestock diseases, especially those with antimicrobial and antiparasitic properties, present considerable potential for further scientific research which may lead to the discovery of new and safer drugs. Although many rural communal farmers use plants to treat livestock diseases, the current status of information on the use of plants in EVM Namibia, and the biological activities and toxicities of this flora, is still inadequate. For example, a complete systematic ethnobotanical list has not yet been compiled, creating an urgent need to record EVM knowledge in Namibia.
Description
Keywords
Indigenous knowledge, Antimicrobial properties, Plants, Ethnoveterinary medicine
Citation
Chinsembu, K.C. (2015). Indigenous knowledge and antimicrobial properties of plants used in ethnoveterinary medicine. In K.C. Chinsembu, A. Cheikhyoussef, & D. Mumbengegwi (Eds.), Indigenous Knowledge of Namibia (pp. 115-134). Windhoek: UNAM Press.