Treatment of Animal Diseases with Veterinary Phytotherapy

About this Research Topic

Background

Phytotherapy is one of the oldest medical disciplines and was traditionally based on empiricism. Herbal remedies are generally characterized by a broad therapeutic index. They consist of multicomponent mixtures and act as multi-target drugs with pleiotropic effects. Phytotherapy or Herbal medicine involves the practice of prescribing plant products, or products derived directly from plants, for the treatment of Animal disease. Herbal medicine has survived since prehistoric times, in part because, until recently, there were no effective alternatives. Some plants do contain biologically active ingredients, and some pharmaceuticals in widespread use today are identical to, or derivatives of, bioactive constituents of historic folk remedies. Herbs and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), although relatively new to the Western world, is a medical system that has been used to treat animals for thousands of years. The application of herbs, derivatives and TCM has a long history and has been used for the prevention, clinical treatment, and cure of disorders or diseases and as growth and health promoters in animal nutrition. Recently, the application of a single herb or single TCM herb extract has generated significant interest in our entire world. Herbal medicine and their derivatives is the ancient medical system used by the people globally since thousands of years to maintain the health of one of the largest animals and human populations in the world. In recent years, TCM has been used by an increasing number of people in Europe and has attracted intense research interests from European and Asian scientists in research and clinical practice.

Misuse of synthetic antibiotics in veterinary leads to the transfer of antibiotic resistant pathogens into humans and deposits toxic residues in meat and milk. The use of antibiotics has been linked to antibiotic residue contamination of animal products and the environment and to the spread of antibiotic resistance in zoonotic bacterial pathogens. Therefore, an urgent need for safe and viable alternative approaches is required to improve health and wellbeing of animals. Considering the high number of veterinary antimicrobials used each year to treat livestock in European countries and the possibility of cross-resistance between human and animal pathogens, therefore the alternatives are urgently needed to treat veterinary diseases. Medicinal herbs, TCM, derivatives, organic products may be considered as one of the most important alternatives to treat livestock globally.

This research topic welcomes high quality research in all topics of Veterinary Phytotherapy including Original Research papers and Reviews. This Research Topic includes Pre-clinical and clinical studies of animal diseases, Traditional Chinese medicine functions and aspects in animal health, clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, Pharmacokinetics (Metabolism, Bioavailability, Distribution, Antimicrobial activity, Antioxidant activity, Anti-inflammatory activity) of Phytomedicine in animals. Phytomedicine/TCM effect on promoting animal growth performance is comparable to the dietary antibiotics.

Particularly welcome but not limited to, are manuscript focusing on:

- To present the new knowledge and information on specific veterinary herbal/Phytotherapy medicines where those are good treatment as alternatives to antibiotics and anthelmintics for veterinary infectious disease.
- To evaluate the use of Veterinary Phytotherapy alternatives in order to minimize the development of antibiotic resistance, with maximum effectiveness in addition to minimal toxicity.
- To assess different applications of the TCM, herbals medicine and medicinal plants and Safety assessment in animals' health
- Herbs and herbal polysaccharides effects for the commercial production of animals, including swine and poultry.

Keywords: Traditional Chinese Medicine, Animals Disease, Veterinary, Animal health, Breeding and genetics, Gene expression, Animal Nutrition

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