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Complementary and Alternative Medicine
November 25, 2024
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Phytotherapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of Animals in Pakistan: A One Health Perspective

Hassnain Khan, Muzammil Zaman Khan, Mayra Ihsan, Nizam-Ud-Din1, Azka Zaheer, Bilal Ahmed Khan, Aneela Gul & Jameel Ahmed Buzdar

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SUMMARY

Phytotherapeutic means treating animals and humans with medicinal plants. In Pakistan, the tradition of treating humans and animals with beneficial natural plants has been practiced for centuries. Medicinal plants are advantageous for treatment due to their easy availability, minimal side effects, low cost, and ease of use for animals. The world is increasingly shifting towards natural products, given their minimal side effects, with a recent advancement being the one-health approach. This approach addresses issues related to human, animal, and environmental health. Various researchers in Pakistan have published different phytotherapeutic treatments, detailing the medicinal plants, their locations, and therapeutic effects. This chapter aims to identify the research conducted on herbal medicine in Pakistan and its application in veterinary practices. Additionally, it focuses on the current potential of phytotherapeutic approaches for animal care in Pakistan from a one health perspective. It is crucial to take serious action to encourage the sharing of traditional knowledge. The use of local herbal medicinal plants is not only economical but also greatly facilitates local farmers. However, more research is needed to systematically explore the methods for practically implementing such therapeutic approaches. Further investigation is necessary to develop effective strategies for the widespread application of these methods in practice.

INTRODUCTION

Herbal therapeutic approaches have been practiced for centuries to treat animals and humans. In Pakistan, the use of medicinal plants has long traditions; these natural therapeutic plants are widely used in veterinary practice. Pakistan being a country possessing a large population of livestock, providing adequate healthcare for animals is a big challenge for the country (Leibler et al., 2009). Herbal therapeutic approaches involve the use of medicinal plants to prevent and treat diseases in both animals and humans. Such remedies include essential oils, plant extracts, and herbal formulations that have been widely used for centuries in traditional medicine practices (Hosseinzadeh et al., 2015). The treatment by use of medicinal plants has gained popularity in recent years as people are seeking alternative and complementary treatments to conventional medicine (VanAndel & Carvalheiro 2013). In veterinary medicine, herbal therapeutic approaches are used to treat a wide range of diseases like digestive disorders, respiratory diseases, skin problems, and infections (Mills & Bone 2000). Herbal medicines are widely used in countries like Pakistan, where herbal medicines have a long history and are widely accepted. The efficacy and safety of phytotherapeutic approaches are still being studied; however, their use should be guided by veterinary doctors and herbal experts. The side effects of these natural remedies are less than conventional medicine and are the best alternative for animal healthcare. Phytotherapy being used as a one health approach is also gaining importance worldwide. By using such remedies, we can reduce the harmful

HABITAT

Fenugreek leaves originate from Eastern Europe and certain regions of Asia, including countries such as Turkey, Egypt, and India. While the seeds and leaves were traditionally used in these areas, fenugreek cultivation has expanded globally. It is widely

IMPACT OF GESTATIONAL MATERNAL UNDERNUTRITION ON FETAL DEVELOPMENT

“It is on the condition of the health of the mother that the condition of the health of the child depends”, Hippocrates stated. This is one of the very early reported references to the concept that placental life has an effect on adult life. But the full concept came into being as we know it in the 1930s, during this era substandard living conditions in infancy were linked to premature death, later. Further studies were carried out which linked these substandard living conditions in early life to several cardiac disorders later in life when the living conditions were better this gave a hint that development in early life and the environment was rather important for the well-being of the individual, in 1977 (Hanson, 2015).
Approximately one-half of the world’s total population is affected by maternal and child undernutrition (Ahmed et al., 2012). Maternal and child undernutrition causes 3·5 million deaths annually, 11% of worldwide disability-adjusted lifeyears (DALYs), and more than one-third of the disease burden in children (less than 5 years of age). Optimum and balanced maternal nutrition is indispensable for proper fetal development and growth (Barker & Clark 1997). Nutritional factors and proteins present in milk promote fetal growth in pregnant women (Borazjani et al., 2013). Ignorance, poverty, food insecurity, infectious diseases, lack of proper feeding practices for infants and young children, and poor sanitation and hygiene lead to the prevailing high levels of child and maternal undernutrition in developing nations. Maternal undernutrition is highly prevalent in the resource-poor countries of southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and south-central Asia. Its prevalence in South Asia ranges from 10 to 40% (Ahmed et al., 2012; Jouanne et al., 2021).
Pakistan being a developing country, about 12.5% population (28 million) faced undernourishment, in 2021 (FAO, 2021). In Pakistan, both lactating and pregnant women suffer from a higher prevalence of malnutrition (16.1%) than their non-pregnant peers (12.5%). It is understood that undernutrition reduces a nation’s economic progress by at least 8% resulting in poorer cognition, direct productivity losses, and reduced schooling. The enormity of children and maternal undernutrition in Pakistan is so much so that about one crore children in Pakistan face stunting, largely due to maternal undernutrition (UNICEF, 2022). To cope with this grave situation, in 2014, the World Bank committed 47.95 million US dollars to improve the nutritional status of lactating and pregnant women. A similar situation is prevalent for women and children in many developing countries (World Bank, 2014).

Maternal undernutrition has been proven to have a profound effect on fetal growth, with body weight and many key organs. It has been reported previously that during the first two weeks of pregnancy, the provision of a 5% protein diet only (undernutrition) led to a reduction in brain weight, size, and cortical thickness of the brain (Gressens et al., 1997). A severe gestational maternal protein restriction in rats caused a reduced number of glomeruli and hypertension in both male and female newborns, this hypertension is salt-sensitive and worsens with age, but is approximately equivalent in males and females (Woods et al., 2004)

Chronic energy deficit or maternal undernutrition means
having a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5. If the females are
under-nourished females at the time of conception, then during
pregnancy (when there are additional demands due to the
growing fetus), they are unlikely to improve their nutritional
status. They are more likely to fail to gain sufficient weight
during pregnancy and are at a higher risk of mortality than wellnourished and healthy women (Smith et al., 2003).

IUGR predisposes developing fetuses to reduced organ and
body weights. Most information about the long-term and short term effects of IUGR has come from animal models. In recent
years, many animal models of placental insufficiency and/or
poor maternal nutrition have been developed to investigate the
causes and effects of IUGR. Both maternal dietary
manipulations and surgical interventions have been employed
for these studies. A number of animal species have been studied
for IUGR effects, including rodents, rabbits sheep, and primates
(Louey et al., 2000; Mitchell et al., 2004; Jonker et al., 2018).

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