Plant resources used for traditional ethnoveterinary phytotherapy in Sardinia (Italy)

The diffusion of herbal remedies for therapies on domestic animals in Sardinia (Italy) was investigated by means of expeditions in the regional territory. The monitoring of knowledge related to plant species utilised in the past for traditional veterinary practices, favoured the recovery of ancient local traditions related to veterinary ethnobotany. Forty two species with several properties have been recorded and compared to uses on domestic animals in other Italian regions. Therapeutic uses of the same plant species for humans and animals in Sardinia have also been compared. The identification of plant species traditionally used for veterinary practices from the local flora could be also potentially useful for the isolation of natural extracts of phytotherapic interest to increase animal welfare and quality of animal productions in organic farming.