Multiple Beneficial Applications and Modes of Action of Herbs in Poultry Health and Production-A Review

Herbal medicine or herbalism is a time-honored practice of natural medicine that is older than mankind itself. The practice of using traditional herbal medicine based therapy is nowadays gaining more attention worldwide in both human and animal health care systems. Among the livestock sectors, poultry production systems are the most intensively reared with developments especially in the areas of nutrition, disease control, genetic improvement, management and organization of dietary requirements along with the pressure of increasing demand for poultry products as well as threats of emerging pathogens. So this sector is badly in need of sustainable therapeutic and production aids especially based on herbs because of the advantages like, low cost, easy availability, no residual effect, free from the threat of antibiotic resistance etc. Many herbs have been recorded to be fruitfully used by veterinarians to treat a variety of disease conditions in animals. The present study discusses the various useful and practical applications of the rich heritage of herbal wealth for safeguarding poultry health in general, combating infectious as well as non-infectious diseases caused by microbes and parasites (both ecto-and endo parasites) along with immunomodulatory actions for countering immunosuppressive diseases. Moreover, highlighting herb-based poultry growth promoters for increasing production performances use of herbs as antioxidants and their role in organic egg and meat production is a special attraction of the review that will draw the attention of the poultry specialists as well as farming community. The information will be useful to increase poultry production and protect the health of birds in a better way from traditional ways towards modem perspectives and also would promote and popularize usage of herbs amongst poultry producers.