STUDIES ON THE ETHNOVETERINARY MEDICINAL PLANTS AMONG THE FARMERS OF DHARAPURAM TALUK, TIRUPUR DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU

The indigenous knowledge and practice based on locally available bioresources are effective to cure diseases. In this way, ethnoveterinary medicinal plants were used by the farmers of Dharapuram taluk, Tirupur district to cure various diseases of their cattles. The present study results in the collection of 42 plant species belonging to 22 families. The medicinal importance of these plants used by the farmers as traditional medicine for their cattle is enumerated in this study.


INTRODUCTION
India is having a vast reservoir of cattle genetic resources not only in terms of population but also in genetic diversity represented by 30 recognized cattle breeds. In Tamil Nadu the total cattle population is 30.8 million (2012). The Indian subcontinent has rich ethnoveterinary health traditions that are the products of decades of experience.
Ethnoveterinary research and development is a holistic inter disciplinary study of indigenous knowledge and associated skills, practices, beliefs and social structures pertaining to the healthcare and husbandry of income producing animals has emerged as a fertile field for generation and transfer appropriate and sustainable veterinary alternatives to the stock raisers. In Indian agriculture livestock plays a key role in the farmer's life. They provide farm power, rural transport, manure, fuel, milk and meat but also play a major role in the rural economy by providing income and employment to the small hold farmers and other weaker sections of the society. Ethnoveterinary science in India has a documented history of around 5000 years. In most rural areas people prefer to treat their animals with indigenous drugs. At present over 35,000 plants are known to have healing properties (Jain and Saklani, 1991). All parts of the plants including leaves, bark, fruits, flowers, seeds are used in medicinal preparations (Mc Corkle et al., 1996). Ethno veterinary practices are often cheap, safe, tested time and based on local resources and strengths. These can provide useful alternatives to the conventional animal health care (Kumar, 2002). The Indian council of agricultural research in 2008 collected and recorded 595 veterinary traditions from different sources (Swarup and Patra, 2005). Ethnoveterinary medicines are the reduction in the cost of healthcare for milk animals of dairy farmers, reduction in antibiotic and hormone residues in milk and other animal products by using safe, effective and standardized products based on time tested local traditions and contribution to the economy of local producers.
The importance of the traditional knowledge ethnoveterinary practices by specialists (Vaidhiyars) and local healers who are knowledgeable and experienced in traditional system of treatment, but their knowledge is not documented and is dwindling fast (Jain and Saklani, 1991). As the local healers did not document their knowledge and experience and did not pass it on to others readily, there was danger of extinction of that knowledge (Mathias and Anjaric, 1998). Thus ethnoveterinary medicine is mostly present by villagers as this system of approach dealing with the folk beliefs, knowledge, skills, methods and practices pertaining to the healthcare of animal by tradition. Hence the present study was conducted to document the ethno veterinary medicinal plants used to treat the livestock by villagers of Dharapuram taluk, Tirupur district, Tamil Nadu.

Study area
The Dharapuram taluk is a wide agricultural taluk in the Tirupur District. The study area is spread over an area of 5186.34 sq. km and is bounded on the west by Udumalpet taluk, south by Madathukulam taluk North by Palladam taluk and East by Palani taluk. It has an average elevation of 245 m above MSL (Fig.-1). The mean maximum and minimum temperature during winter and summer varies from 32.4ºC to 20º C. The major rivers flowing through the taluk are Amaravathi and Uppaar. Amaravathi Dam is the prime source of irrigation. According to 2011 census, Dharapuram taluk had a population of 65,007. Most of the communities doing agriculture practices. Apart from agriculture they also domesticated cattle for their use in agricultural works. Most of the formers treat their cattle using medicinal plants themselves.

Data collection and local peoples
The present study was conducted during June 2014 to February 2015. Local traditional healers (Mattu vaidhiyar) having practical knowledge of ethnoveterinary medicinal plants were interviewed in remote villages of Dharapuram taluk. The ethnoveterinary information regarding the local name of the plant, plant part used and herbal remedies to cure their cattle suffering from different diseases are recorded. The collected plants were identified with the help of Flora of the Presidency of Madras (Gamble andFischer, 1915-1936), The Flora of British India (Hooker, 1872(Hooker, -1897 and the Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic (Matthew, 1987). The entire herbarium specimens were deposited at the Herbarium of Kongunadu Arts and Science College (KASCH).

Enumeration of plants
The Ethnoveterinary information of 42 plant species was collected and enumerated in alphabetical order. For each species listed botanical names followed by family name, vernacular name (VN), medicinal uses and mode of preparation.
Leaves ground with bulb of Allium sativum and Piper nigrum seeds are applied on the mouth. To cure mouth disease.
Albizia lebbeck (L.) (Fabaceae); VN-Vagai maram Leaf extract mixed with salt and applied on the eye lid of the cattles to cure corneal opacity.

Allium cepa L. (Liliaceae); VN-Chinna vengayam
Paste made by grounding the bulb with Cuminum cyminum seeds and Indigofera linnaei leaves. Paste is dilute with butter milk and fed orally to cattle's once a day to cure enteritis (kalichal).

VN-Aduthinna palai
Paste prepared by grounding leaves with Corallocarpus epigaeus rhizome and Andrographis paniculata leaves. It is mixed with neem oil and applied externally for 4-5 days to cure scabies.

Aristolochia indica L. (Aristolochiaceae); VN-Urikkal chedi
Leaves boiled with neem oil and applied on the affected part for horn ablation.

Azadirachta indica Adr. Juss. ( Meliaceae); VN-Veppamaram
Seed oil is mixed with egg albumin and given orally to improve fertility.
Calotropis gigantea (L.) (Asclepiadaceae); VN-Yerukku Paste made by grounding flower bud and root bark with Piper nigrum seeds, dried rhizome of Zingiber officinalis, Piper cubeba seeds and Allium sativum bulb. Paste diluted with water and fed orally to cattles to cure bronchitis.

Cardiospermum halicacabum L. (Sapindaceae); VN-Mudakkathan
Leaf juice mixed with Ferula asafoetida and lime water and fed orally for 2 days to cow to cure indigestion problem (seriyamai).

Cassia auriculata (L.) (Fabaceae); VN-Avaram chedi
Leaves ground with water and given orally once or twice a day to the cattle for diarrhea.

Canthium rheedii DC. (Rubiaceae); VN-Karaichedi
Leaves boiled with water and the decoction is mixed and boiled with rice flour and fed orally to cattle for general weakness.  Tuber of ground with leaves of Pergularia daemia, Tinospora cordifolia and root of Tribulus terrestries and the paste is applied around the ears of cattles to cure bronchitis, asthma.

Datura fastuosa auct. (Solanaceae); VN-Karuoomathai
Leaves ground with onion and the paste in applied on wound of cows to cure Mastitis (Madi Veekam).

Desmodium recurvatum (Roxb.) (Fabaceae); VN-Aadatti
Leaves fried with salt and applied externally on tongue to cure wounds in lips and tongue.

VN-Agayathamarai
Leaves ground with onion and the paste is mix with lemon juice and butter milk and fed orally three times per day for azhari.

Euphorbia antiquorum L. (Euphorbiaceae); VN-Sadhurakkalli
Euphorbia antiquorum latex is mixed with Ficus benghalensis latex and applied on fracture area and tied with bamboo stick to cure bone fracture.

Ficus benghalensis L. (Moraceae); VN-Alamaram
Young prop root ground with Cocos nucifera flower and fed orally with cow's milk to the cattle to cure hematuria (Ratha kalichal).

Lagenaria vulgaris Ser. (Cucurbitaceae); VN-Surai
Fruit skin ground with Piper nigrum seeds and Brassica juncea seeds and mix with rice flour and fed orally to cattle to cure Anthrax (Adaippam).

Leucas aspera Willd. (Lamiaceae); VN-Thumbai
Leaves ground with Ocimum sanctum and Melothria maderaspatana leaves and the paste is fed orally for 2 days for constipation.

Mimosa pudica L. (Fabaceae); VN-Thottal sinungi
Leaves ground with cow's milk and fed orally to cattle to improve lactation.

Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae); VN-Pakalkai
Leaf juice applied externally and given orally to cure poisonous bite in cattle.

Phyllanthus amarus
Schum. & Thonn. (Euphorbiaceae); VN-Kizhanelli Whole plant ground with leaves of Ocimum sanctum, Leucas aspera and Piper nigrum seeds. Paste diluted with goat urine and fed orally for cows and buffaloes to cure indigestion problems.

Pongamia glabra Vent. (Fabaceae); VN-Pungam
Fruit is ground with hot water and applied for tongue disease.

Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae); VN-Manathakkali
Leaves ground with a fruit of Cuminum cyminium and the paste is fed to the cattle for 2 days to cure ephemeral fever.

Trichosanthes cucumerina. L. (Cucurbitaceae); VN-Pei pudal
Leaves ground with Tamarindus indica leaves and the paste is dilute with butter milk and fed orally to cure indigestion.

Vigna mungo Hepper, (Fabaceae); VN-Uzhunthu
Seed flour mix with egg albumin and applied on the fracture and tied with bamboo stick.

Vitex negundo L. (Verbinaceae); VN-Notchi
Paste prepared by grounding the equal amount of leaves with Leucas aspera leaves and Allium cepa bulb and applied on the nose of the cattles to cure bronchitis.

Withania somnifera L. (Solanaceae); VN-Amukkirachedi
Paste made by grounding rhizome with Allium cepa bulb, Datura metal root and Acorus calamus rhizome and given orally for three days to cure bloat.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The present study results in the documentation of 42 plant species belonging to 22 families. The data shows that eight species of Fabaceae, five species of Cucurbitaceae, four species of Solanaceae and three species each of Euphorbiaceae and Liliaceae were largely employed for preparation of herbal remedies for curing cattle disease. Among the plant parts used, leaf was the mostly used (60%) to treat a particular animal disease followed by root and tuber (17%) seed and fruit (12%) and stem (7%). The whole plant was the least used part in ethno veterinary medicine (4%) (Fig.-2). Among the 42 plant species which are used as ethno veterinary medicine by farmers of study area, 17 species (40%) were herbs from the main source of medicines followed by shrubs and climbers 10 species each (24%) and 5 trees (12%). Generally, fresh parts of the plants were used for the preparation of medicine for livestock illness. It was recorded that oral administration of herbal preparation (decoction, juice, solid extract etc.,) was found as mostly followed mode (62%) to treat the illness followed by raw feeding. The plant extracts were prepared and also applied as paste externally to cure wounds, mastitis, foot and mouth disease, swelling, bone fracture etc. The medicines are administered to the animals with the help of a special apparatus known as kottam (a simple mature hollow stem of Bamboo, which is pointed at one end) Decoctions, plant extracts or other liquid medicines are administered to animals through it.

CONCLUSION
The Folk health practices largely remain undocumented and are passed on from one generation to the other by word of mouth. Mostly ethnoveterinary treatment is done with the help of locally available herbs. The emerging problems, continuous loss of biodiversity and other natural resources compelled to developed sustainable economically viable and eco friendly system of animal husbandry. The study results in the collection of 42 plant species belonging to 22 families. The plenty use of leaves in the preparation of remedies is common because they available in mostly throughout the year. Combination of plant species and use of water, cow milk, lime water and rice flower for diluting or mixing various ingredients formulations have been practical during the period of treatment.