Effect of dietary inclusion of a commercial polyherbal formulation on some physiological and immune parameters in healthy and stressed hens

The effects of the dietary inclusion of a polyherbal formulation based on three powdered herbs (W. somnifera, T. cordifolia, O. sanctum) on some physiological and immune parameters were studied in healthy and stressed laying hens. The effects of the dietary polyherbal formulation were also compared with those of dietary ascorbic acid (AA) supplement, nowadays considered one of the most potent immunostimulant substances widely used as a food supplement. Experimental data did not show any positive effects, or very low ones, on the assessed parameters in healthy hens as a consequence of the two dietary supplementations. On the contrary, the dietary inclusion of the polyherbal mixture or AA partially counteracted the adverse effects in hens subjected to a moderate and transient dexamethasone-induced stress, when ameliorating effects on natural IgM antibody level, specific antibody response, total immunoglobulin content, respiratory burst activity and total antioxidant capacity were shown. The obtained results justify the ethnomedical use of this polyherbal mixture in stressed laying hens in which faster recovery has been demonstrated, whereas healthy specimens did not seem to substantially benefit from the dietary integration, neither with the polyherbal product nor with AA. Thus, the presence of nutraceutical compounds in several herbal plants exerting no side-effects might be useful for exploring them as an alternative to allopathic substances for preventive or therapeutic purposes in poultry.