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Ethnoveterinary Plants Used by Local Farmers in the Promotion of Livestock Health in Selected Districts of Sarawak Borneo: A Preliminary Study

Mohammad Nasir, H.¹, Masnindah, M.¹, Kamil, L.¹, Lirong, L.A.¹, Noorasmah, S.¹, Suziana, H,.¹, Sharifah Salmah, S.H.², Suhaili, M.¹, M. Hakim, M.A.H.¹, Paul, B.T.¹, Herinda, P.⁴, Sarah, Al-Twain⁵ & Juriah, K.^1,3*

¹Faculty of Agricultural Science and Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia Bintulu Sarawak Campus, Bintulu 97008, Sarawak, Malaysia.
²Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
³Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security,Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
⁴Faculty of Vocational Studies Airlangga University, Jalan Dharmawangsa Dalam 28-30, Surabaya 60286 Indonesia
⁵Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Malaysian J. Anim. Sci. 2022 25(2): 12-25

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Ethnoveterinary plant medicines are an alternative method to treat various diseases in livestock. The majority of the world?s plant species are found in tropical forests. Thus, the present study aims to use a participatory methodology to identify livestock owner knowledge, attitudes and beliefs relating to the use of medicinal plants for animal treatments in selected districts in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The data were collected using an online questionnaire and via phone interviews with 78 respondents. Only 39.7% of the respondents used this practice. The results showed that 22 plant species were used locally for treating various diseases in the studied area. Plant leaves were commonly used, crushed in water or feed and boiling, and administered topically and orally. Akar patawali (T. crispa) and sambong (B. balsamifera) were identified as potential plant-based remedies that can be explored in future studies. There were advantages of using plant-based remedies: low in cost, easy to cultivate and available locally. This documentation on the plant species associated with indigenous knowledge of small-scale farmers may, in the future, help educate younger generations and promote livestock health care. Further research is required to investigate other potential uses of plant-based preparations asmodern traditional drugs in this region.