Ranjeet Kumar Ranjan
Department of Botany, Ranchi University, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
Received : 13th December, 2015; Revised : 18th January, 2016
Abstract : A study was carried out in Mandu Block of Ramgarh District of Jharkhand state to document the role of traditional medicines in livestock health management amongst indigenous peasants and pastoralists. A cross sectional survey involved administration of questionnaire to the key informants and resource persons of all 31 villages of the Block.
The results indicated that 85% of the respondents regularly use traditional medicine in treatment of their livestock. There were 6 basic categories of diseases frequently treated. Dysentery, Foot and Mouth Disease and Boils & Sores were the most frequently treated diseases. Various ingredients were used along with herbs like Gur. Flour, Milk and Sodium bicarbonate etc.
The local Vaidya and elderly people of the village had rich knowledge regarding composition and administration of traditional drugs. ft had been concluded that the indigenous people of Mandu Block were heavily dependent on herbal drugs for the treatment of variety of livestock ailments. Knowledge of traditional medicines always provides a base line for phytochemical and pharmacological investigation. The documentation of the knowledge regarding traditional medicine in study area has never been done before hence this work has been taken up.