August 16, 2007

Uganda's farmers skilled in using herbs to treat poultry diseases

Ugandan farmers are well-trained in using medicinal plants to treat poultry diseases, a university study found.

Research by Makerere University in central and eastern Uganda found that four in five poultry farmers know how to use medicinal plants to treat poultry diseases.

Prof. Bukenya Ziraba from Makerere University Department of Botany, said the research, showed that farmers were using medicinal plant to treat diarrhoea, swollen eyes, mites worms and lice as well as Newcastle prophylaxis and coccidiosis in their chickens.

Medicinal plant species like Capsicum frutescens (kamulali) and cannabis sativa (enjaga) Nicotiana, tobaccum (taaba), Aloe sp (lukaka) Vernonia amygadalina (omubirizi) and tagets mihuta (kawunyira) species were used.

The most common way of preparation and administration of the medicine is by crushing the plant material, adding water and administering the concoction orally.

Using medicinal plants saves farmers from losses incurred through outbreaks of diseases, Ziraba said.

The research was presented at a symposium on drugs discovery from African flora, organised by the Natural Research Network for Eastern and Central Africa recently.