Sharma R, Manhas R K
Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu 180006, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Department of Botany, Govt. Degree College, Kathua 184104, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2015 Jul 1;169:170-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.04.018. Epub 2015 Apr 24.
Camel is an important mode of transportation in the hot and hilly tracts of Shiwaliks of Kathua districts. The camel owners of the region lack the modern veterinary facilities and therefore depend heavily upon local treatments for the animal. This ethnoveterinary knowledge of plants is acquired by them from their forefathers and generally moves from one generation to another orally. The oral mode of transferring this valuable knowledge is vulnerable to erosion with the passage of time and generations.
Ethnoveterinary information was collected by interviewing 38 camel keepers and traditional healers as per the questionnaire. The data collected was analysed quantitatively using three indices viz. use-value (UV), informant consensus factor (ICF), and fidelity level (Fl %).
A total of 41 plants were found to be of ethnoveterinary importance in the present study. Herbs and trees (41.5% each) were the most used life forms. The most used plant part was fruit (27.9%). Rhizome, root and whole plant parts collectively contributed to 18.6%. Most of the ethnoveterinary practices (65.9%) used oral mode of medication. The values of UV and Fl (%) shows that the most important species for curing the ailing camels were Curcuma longa, Trachyspermum ammi, Brassica campestris, Tamarindus indica, Phyllanthus emblica, Cassia fistula, Eruca sativa, Plumbago zeylanica etc. The high values of ICF (0.91-0.99) show that the informants share the knowledge for the treatment of camels amongst themselves on regular basis.
A good number of plants are utilised by the informants to cure camels. Most of the preparations used fruits and leaves. Only 18.6% of the practices required destructive collection and such species need sustainable use and conservation. Some of the species like Tamarindus indica, Cassia fistula, Eruca sativa, Albizia lebbeck and Citrus medica require further phytochemical and pharmacological studies.
骆驼是查谟地区什瓦利克山脉炎热山区重要的运输工具。该地区的骆驼主人缺乏现代兽医设施，因此严重依赖当地的动物治疗方法。他们从祖先那里获得了这种植物民族兽医学知识，并且通常通过口头方式代代相传。随着时间的推移和世代的更替，这种宝贵知识的口头传承方式容易受到侵蚀。
根据问卷对38名骆驼饲养者和传统治疗师进行访谈，收集民族兽医学信息。使用使用价值（UV）、信息提供者共识因子（ICF）和保真度水平（Fl%）这三个指标对收集到的数据进行定量分析。
在本研究中，共发现41种植物具有民族兽医学重要性。草本植物和树木（各占41.5%）是最常使用的生命形式。最常使用的植物部位是果实（27.9%）。根茎、根和全株部分合计占18.6%。大多数民族兽医学实践（65.9%）采用口服给药方式。UV和Fl（%）的值表明，治疗患病骆驼最重要的物种是姜黄、孜然、油菜、罗望子、余甘子、阿勃勒、芝麻菜、白花丹等。ICF的高值（0.91 - 0.99）表明，信息提供者之间经常分享治疗骆驼的知识。
信息提供者使用大量植物来治疗骆驼。大多数制剂使用果实和叶子。只有18.6%的实践需要破坏性采集，这些物种需要可持续利用和保护。一些物种，如罗望子、阿勃勒、芝麻菜、合欢和枸橼，需要进一步进行植物化学和药理学研究。
