Indigenous livestock health care in some parts of Tanzania

Abstract

Indigenous livestock care is a system where traditional products are used to take care of livestock health. It is a system which uses natural products, thus protecting the environment. Indigenous livestock health care products are extracted from plants (leaves, bark, roots and wood) and mineral soils. Examples include: Psidium guajava leaf extracts for treating diarrheoea & dysentery; Syzgium cuminii (Myrtaceae) leaves extracts for Opthalmia treatment; Syzgium guineense (Myrtaceae) leaf, bark and root extracts used for sedation, and tranquilization, Cordia africana leaf extracts for wound treatment. Calcium rock extracts are used to take care of various mineral deficiencies. The system has been practiced in many parts of Tanzania for a long time. The introduction of modern livestock drugs marginalized the use of indigenous health care practices to some extent. However, in many areas indigenous livestock care is still in practice todate. Strategic use of plants especially trees not only provide medicinal compounds, but also provide fodder and may have benefits beyond that of soil rehabilitation and conservation, for example, the provision of shelter (from rain, and sun); and may enhance rangeland productivity and management. This paper highlights the role and position of indigenous livestock health care, and advocates its promotion, in view of the unavailability and hiking prices of the ready-made foreign livestock health care products.