Herbal products against viral outbreaks – A Brief Investigation
DR. IBNE ALI (LIVESTOCK & POULTRY CONSULTANT)
Herbal products against viral outbreaks – A Brief Investigation
In recent times marketing of herbal products in poultry production has been increased many folds. There are mainly following reasons for that:
Due to consumer awareness most people want to grow organic with lesser use of antibiotics, so farmer consider herbal products as best alternative
2. Because India has rich cultural background of Ayurveda and Unani medicine, farmers get naturally inclined towards herbal products
3. Farmers thinks that herbal products are 100% safe and has no side effects
4. Easy to design and manufacture without any legal complication. Most of the products are just random mixtures.
5. No underlying explanation and detailing of product is required because most of the products (not all) are just mixture of different herbs. Further with impressive packing anyone can sale it in market without any knowledge of herbs.
Impact:
v Due to these reasons, mushrooming of herbal products is seen in the poultry medicine market.
v Although many products works effectively but due to lack of instructions on usage, they seldom gives any benefit.
v Most of the herbal products available in the market are claimed to enhance immune system functioning without mentioning their specific usage and target.
v Farmers and even learned consultants do not know where to use, when to use and how to use to get maximum product.
v Many products are claimed to be used in every condition backing with the fact that they enhance immunity which will ultimately cure the bird. Farmers also gets succumbed to the claim. It is very vague claim.
v We cannot use word “immunity” unless we know properly about avian immune system.
v Scientifically, we cannot use immune boosting property in every case and/or disease of poultry because many immune reactions are hypersensitivity reactions which increases mortality rather than decreasing it. That is why in many cases mortality increases when we give some medicine because we do not know underlying mechanism.
Further
Recent scientific studies suggests very encouraging results of some of the active compounds of herbal drugs. They have huge potential to work in viral problems but the main trouble is to harness these compounds in active form so that they can be used affordably and efficiently. Unnecessarily exaggerated claims associated with herbal products should be stopped and they should not be seen as wonder drug for every problem.v
It is a responsibility of product manufacturer or marketing personal to properly educate the end user about their product and clearly provide usage instructions on label.v
Herbal system of medicine is centuries old tradition we must use it in poultry with proper understanding of associated scientific points. Advance scientific knowledge of pharmacology, biochemistry and physiology should be used to describe new principles of herbal science for better tomorrow of poultry medicine. We should not create hullabaloo in market about such precious science.
