The use of medicinal plants in improving the health and safety of poultry

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Animal Science Research Department, Gilan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Rasht, Iran

10.22092/mpt.2024.365879.1154

Abstract

Restrictions imposed by various global authorities, for example the European Union, on the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry nutrition, as a result of increasing concerns about the spread of bacterial resistance and other related problems, encouraged extensive research to find growth promoter alternative to antibiotics. A large variety of different compounds have been introduced by researchers as potential alternatives to antibiotics, among them medicinal plants have received the most attention in recent years and numerous valuable information is now available about their potential in improving animal’s health and performance. Medicinal plants are reported to have a wide range of activities including antimicrobial, anthelminthic, antioxidant, growth enhancer, and immune modulator. Medicinal plants and their ingredients have been tested in different forms in a number of animals, but the results are variable. Therefore, their application as feed additive has been limited, largely owing to their inconsistent efficacy and lack of full understanding of the modes of action. The future of these plants as feed additives depends on the knowledge on their effective constituents, the in-depth knowledge on their mode of action and their value based on the safety to animal and their products. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on the role of medicinal plants in improving the safety and health of monogastric animals.

Keywords

Technology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Iran
Volume 6, Issue 1 - Serial Number 10
September 2024
Pages 31-13

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