Buffalo Bulletin (December 2014) Vol.33 No.4
Case Report
THE COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF THREE INDIGENOUS PLANTS (FUMARIA
PARVIFLORA, ARTEMESIA MARITIMA AND SWERTIA CHIRATA) ALONE OR IN
COMBINATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF TOXAEMIA IN BUFFALOES
A. Shakoor, A. Hussain, T. Abbas, S.A. Muhammad* and M. Kashif
consumed all over the country (Sarawar et al.,
2006). Naturally the buffalo is affilicted with a host
of diseases which tell upon the productivity very
adversely. Of these, toxaemia is one of the major
and most prevalent diseases. Afflicted animals take
less feed or fodder and have mucopurrlent ocular
ABSTRACT
Three
medicinal
plants
(Fumaria
parviflora, Artemesia maritima, Swertia chirata)
were used 100 gm/animal for 7 days singly or
in combination for the treatment of toxaemia
(zaharabad) in buffaloes. The disease scoring was
made on the extent of severity as 1st (+), 2nd (++) and
discharge, mild to moderate constipation, disturbed
digestive tract, pitch dark skin color which begins
to change towards a slight or moderate reddish
tinge sometimes affecting the whole body,
occasionally the lumbar region and both flanks
or the neck region etc (Khan, 2010). The tiller
community call it Zaharabad in common parlance
but technically the condition is named toxaemia
(Radostits et al., 2007) and it causes dairy farmers
much worry. Efforts are made to treat it through
different methods with variable results by villagers
from their own aceord. In response to a survey of
ethnoveterinary practices in Tehsil Pattoki, loftyclaims of the anti-toxaemic efficacy in buffaloes
of three plants Fumaria parviflora, Artemesia
maritima and Swertia chirata came to our attention.
Against this backdrop, it was planned to make a
clinical trial of these plants alone or in combination
against zaharabad affected buffaloes under field
conditions with the sole aim either to ratify or
refute the claim of their miraculous effects.
3rd (+++) degree toxaemia. First degree toxaemia
disappeared within 3 days when each plant was
used singly while a blend of the three cured it within
2 days. Second degree toxaemia was relieved on
the 5th day in all groups with the exception of that
receiving a blend of the three, which gave recovery
within 2 days. Third degree toxaemia disappeared
on the 5th day except in the group treated with a
mixture of the three, which became normal on 4th
day. In short, it was concluded that each of these
plants wa effective but took a longer timeto bring
about recovery than when they were combined.
All these plants proved deserving of the esteem in
which they are held by the folk of Tehsil Pattoki.
Keywords: toxaemia, indigenous plants, buffalo
INTRODUCTION
The buffalo is a premier dairy animal in
Pakistan and produces more than 75% of the milk
College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Jhang. Sub-campus University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
Lahore, Pakistan, *E-mail: [email protected]
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Buffalo Bulletin (December 2014) Vol.33 No.4
MATERIALS AND METHODS
uprooted from a wheat field and Artemisia maritima
(afsentin) from fallow land of the University of
Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Ravi Campus
Pattoki in the winter season. The three plants were
identified by consulting pictorial encyclopedias of
Indo-Pak herbs (Multani, 2004 ; Multani, 2005)
with the help of a botanist. The plants were dried
in deep shade followed by chopping, pulverization
with a feed mill of the Buffalo Research Institute,
Pattoki and preservation in separate sacs. Pakistani
dry Chirrata was purchased from a grocery market
and was pulverized and preserved in a plastic bag
separately. The powder of each plant was mixed in
equal parts to make a blend that was preserved in
the fourth bag. The medicines thus prepared were
used as per the following protocol.
1) Animals
While discharging the duty under
field conditions, this trial was conducted on
60 buffaloes, which were divided randomly
into four equal groups viz. A to D. A separate
treatment was given to each group for a span of
7 days and the animals were kept monitored to
observe change towards normalacy of the skin.
The severity of condition was scored as:
Reddish tinge over
the lumbar region
+
1st degree
toxaemia
Reddish tinge over
the lumbar and
flank region
++
2nd degree
toxaemia
+++
3 degree
toxaemia
Reddish tinge
of the skin over
almost all of the
whole body
3) Monitoring of Treated Animals
The animals belonging to all groups were
inspected closely daily to assess the extent of
normalization of skin for a week long period after
every 24 h interval.
rd
2) Acquisition and preparation of medicine
The Fumaria plants (shahtrah) were
Table 1. Protocol for the phytotherapuetic administration in buffaloes.
Animals (n=15)
Groups
Medicines
(Powder)
Per Os Dose
LB
LPB
PDB
A
5
5
5
Artemesia maritima
(Afsantin)
100
B
3
7
5
Fumaria parviflora
(Shahtrah)
100
C
6
4
5
Swertia chirata
(Cherata)
100
D
4
4
7
Mixture of these plants
(Blend)
100
Duration of
Treatment
(days)
7
7
7
7
LB = Lactating buffaloes LPB= Lactating pregnant buffaloes, PDB = Pregnant dry buffaloes.
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Buffalo Bulletin (December 2014) Vol.33 No.4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
with its antioxidant and anti-suppressant activity.
(Mahmoudi et al., 2009). Besides, it also acts as
an anthelmintic (Shaker et al., 2011). Fumaria
species also have stomachic anthelminties,
laxative, alterative, Diuretic, febrifage, alteratives
bactericidal, anti-toxaenic etc. characteristics
(Awan,2007; Tortosh et al., 2011) The amazing
efficacy may be due to the combined effect of the
various above mentioned characteristics. In Groups
A and B, second degree toxemia disappeared after
4 days so the Artemesia maritime (Afsinteen)
purifying the blood from toxins and fumaria
showed almost the same efficacy. This may be due
to purge of the toxic material leading to the skin
color returning towards normal (Multani, 2005).
In Group C, toxemia disappeared on the 4th
Traditional medicine has been in vogue
since antiquity in both human and animals. At
present, it is becoming more popular in the world
when the use of allopathic medicines is showing
many side-effects. It is ascribed to the disintegration
of various naturally found pharmacollogically
active ingredients which are found in a delicate
balance set by nature making it harmless nullifying
the bad effects of each other and curing ailments
safely. This is why scientists are knocking back at
the door of herbs, i.e herbal therapy.
Keeping in view the severity of toxaemia,
these different plants showed more or less the same
type of effect. First degree toxaemia, disappeared in
first three days in the first two groups (A and B). This
may be ascribed to the capability of the ingredients
(Fumerine, Santonin) of the plants to mitigate and
purge the toxins through faeces whereas, this very
stage of disease vanished in only 2 days in groups
C and D and is an obvious manifestation of the
anti-toxemic effect of chirata and the mixture of
the three plants (Fumaria parviflora, Aretmesia
maritima and Swertia chirata)(Awan, 2007). The
genus Artemesia has 180 species spread mainly in
temperate regions of the world and is used in folk
medicine (Orav, 2006). Its bitterness is compared
to sin in the Bible and contains a bitter glycoside,
absinthin, absinthic acid, potassium nitrate resin,
starch tannin etc. It also has oils like pinene,
santonin etc. It acts as an anthelmintic, antipyretic ,
antispasmodic, carminative cholagogue, besidesits
essential oil extract has antifungal, antipyretic,
antitumour , antimalarial (Klayman et al., 1984)
hematic (Yan et al., 2011) febrifuge, mental
restorative, nervine stimulent, stomachics and tonic
properties (Grieves, 1931) Artemesia meritima
is a folk medicine. Its effect may be correlated
day and may be ascribed to the ingredients (Chiratin)
found in Chirata. It is used medicinally as a bitter
tonic, stomachic, febrifuge, anthelmintic, appetizer,
laxative, alterative, diuretic, antidiarrhoeic, and is
also very effective in skin diseases with burning
sensation, oozing and itching (Kumar et al., 2010).
In this trial its amazing effect may be ascribed to it
being laxative, alterative, and diuretic in action; this
effect was quite effective and rapid in alleviating
the suffering of animals belonging to Group D in
only 48 hours. When these three plants were used
in a mixture their combined effect was amazing
and miraculous shortening the recovery period.
This may be due to the synergistic anti-toxaemic
effect of used three plants in combination (Table 2)
They contain two bitter principals, ophelic acid and
chiratin. Chirata enhances the secretion of bile that
promotes digestion as well as improves appetite.
On the other hand, third degree toxemia in
Group D vanished on the 5th day in Groups A, B
and C and disappeared a little bit earlier on the 4th
day. This may be due to the miraculous combined
synergetic effect of the three plants as compared
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Buffalo Bulletin (December 2014) Vol.33 No.4
Table 2. Clinical efficacy of phytotherapy (Fumaria parviflora, Artmesia maritima and Swertia chirata)
against toxaemia in buffaloes.
Groups
A
B
C
D
Animals
(n=15)
LB
LPB
PDB
LB
LPB
PDB
LB
LPB
PDB
LB
LPB
PDB
5
5
5
3
7
5
6
4
5
4
4
7
Disease
Scoring
at Day
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
+++
+
++
++
+
+
+
++
+
-
-
-
-
Post-Treatment Response (Days)
+ Reddish Tinge over the lumbar region (1stdegree toxaemia)
++ Reddish Tinge over the lumbar and flank regions (2nd degree toxaemia)
+++ Reddish tinge of the skin over the whole body (3rd degree toxaemia)
- Normal skin color” (absence of toxaemia)
LB=Lactating buffaloes, LPB= Lactating pregnant buffaloes, PDB= Pregnant dry buffaloes
to the effect of each alone. This trebled effect
normalized the skin within a short period i.e. 72 h.
It may be due to laxative alterative, appetizer and
diuretic effects as mentioned by various workers
(Safi-Uddin, 1989; Akhtar, 2005; Hakim, 2008).
After the normalization of skin color, all
animals began to eat and drink normally andn pass
faeces of normal consistency. Ocular mucopurralent
discharge became absent leading to brightness
of eyes and luster of skin. Milk yield returned to
normal.
In short, it was concluded that individual
use of Fumaria parviflora, Aretmesia maritima and
Swertia chirata is also effective against toxaemia
but took a little bit longer time for each herb to show
its effect; however, the blend of the three shortened
the time required for recovery. None of these three
plants had any adverse effect on pregnancy. They
are cheap wonderful anti-toxaemics, time tested
indigenous therapy for a most common condition
(toxaemia, or zaharbad) in buffaloes. This clinical
trial proved why these herbs have long been in
vogue among villagers for use with their animals.
353
Buffalo Bulletin (December 2014) Vol.33 No.4
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