Cattle wounds and ethnoveterinary medicine: A study in Polasara block, Ganjam district, Orissa, India

Abstract

The study examined the information seeking behavior of traditional medical practitioners in the treatment of cattle wounds as well as level of acceptance of indigenous systems of medicine in the treatment of the disease. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered, self-constructed, structured-questionnaire. On spot experiment technique was adopted for analysis of accuracy of the preparations. Analysis revealed that traditional medical practice in the study area was with the elderly people. Knowledge of traditional medical practices was revealed to be orally preserved and transmitted by word of mouth from generation to generation and the level of integration with orthodox medicine was found to be very low. The uses of whole plant and/or plant parts along with the mode of administration revealed that 35 plant species were used for treatment of cattle wounds. Modern scientific techniques need to be adopted for validation of the ethnoveterinary medicines at a larger scale.