SOUSA, Soraya Maria Bernardo Nunes.
Abstract:
The use of herbal medicines in the treatment of diseases was responsible for the discovery of
numerous therapeutic practices of great importance for public health throughout the history of
mankind. The use of herbal products in the production of animals for human consumption has
grown considerably in recent years, whether due to the need to minimize production losses,
reduce costs or also due to the demands of a consumer market, which is increasingly responding
to way of raising animals and the quality of the products offered. This research sought to expose
the importance of using herbal medicines for the treatment of animal diseases in the agro-
industrial context, mainly in the Northeast Region of Brazil, analyzing the uses of these
medicines and also the potential and therapeutic indications for the treatment of animal diseases.
A narrative review of the literature was carried out, analyzing the main research on the topic,
mainly those correlated to Brazilian natural resources, especially with regard to local
biodiversity and the possibilities of use, productions, therapeutic indications, and effectiveness
of the use of these medicines in animals used for human consumption. The results showed that
although the biodiversity of the Caatinga is very rich in plant species; ethnoveterinary surveys
on the use of herbal medicines, originating from the biome, in the treatment of animal diseases,
are still incipient, being restricted to published studies, on the use of herbal medicines
originating from the biome in the treatment of animal diseases, restricting them. mostly just
those specimens already known for their healing properties.
