Ethnoveterinary Practices and use of herbal medicines for treatment of skin diseases in cattle : A study in Polsara Block, Ganjam District, Orissa, India

This study records indigenous medicinal plant utilization in treating skin diseases of cattle population. The study was carried out in Polasara Block, Ganjam District between January 2004 and December 2005. Ethnoveterinary data were collected using pre-structured questionnaires, interviews and field observations with elderly persons, cattle owners, traditional healers and house wives. A total of 12 ethnoveterinary preparations were studied in which 24 plant species belonging to 20 families were documented in the area. The most frequently used plant parts were leaves (33.33%), followed by oils (29.17%) and rhizomes (25.0%). Most of the medicinal species were collected from the nearby areas of the locality. The principal threatening factors reported were deforestation and agricultural expansion. Documenting the medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge can be used as a basis for developing management plans for conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants in the area and for validation of these plant preparations for veterinary treatment. The low cost and almost no side effects of these preparations make them adaptable by the local community.