An analysis of the ethnoveterinary medicinal uses of the genus Aloe L. for animal diseases in Africa.

Aremu, A. O. and Lawal, I. O. and Amoo, S. O. and Aremu, A. O. and Staden, J. van and Wyk, B. E. van

Special Issue Section: Aloe research: current research endeavours and future research directions. (2022) 147: 976–992

DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2022.02.022

Abstract

The high diversity and occurrence of Aloe species in African landscapes often translates to their frequent utilisation for meeting the medicinal needs for human health and well-being. In addition, their value in ethnoveterinary medicine has been intermittently indicated amongst ethnic groups in Africa. This review entails a critical analysis on the ethnoveterinary uses and applications of the genus Aloe in Africa. We explored different scientific databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, Sabinet and Science Direct) to extract information from 123 eligible studies that included research articles (86.2%), dissertations/theses (9.8%), books (2.4%) and reports (1.6%). We generated an inventory of 55 Aloe species with ethnoveterinary applications across 13 African countries. Tanzania (16), South Africa (15), Kenya (14) and Ethiopia (14) had the highest number of Aloe species used for ethnoveterinary purpose. On the basis of the number of citations, A. vera (31), Aloe spp. (29), A. ferox (16) and A. secundiflora (11) were identified as the most common Aloe species with ethnoveterinary applications in Africa. The identified Aloe species were indicated as remedies against nine (9) major disease categories from the analysed literature. In terms of versatility, A. greatheadii had the most diverse applications as they were indicated as remedies for the management of eight (8) disease categories. Likewise, A. ferox, A. marlothii, Aloe spp., A. secundiflora and A. vera had multi-purpose value in ethnoveterinary medicine as they were used against seven (7) diseases/health conditions. The leaves (65.4%) and whole plant (4.7%) of Aloe species were the major plant parts used to prepare the Aloe-based herbal remedies that often targeted cattle (29.3%) and poultry/chickens (28.2%). The remedies were prepared using different methods which mainly entailed infusion (17.7%), juicing (14.2%), crushing (13.8%) and decoction (12.7%). Overall, the current review established the increasing vital role of Aloe species in treatment of animal diseases and general well-being in Africa. However, the apparent gaps (e.g., absence of plant part, diseases, animal-type, preparation and administration methods) existing in some of the assessed literature mean that deliberate efforts remain essential during ethnoveterinary surveys, to ensure the reliability and trustworthiness of the generated data. This will contribute towards the establishment of a holistic inventory/database of Aloe species with ethnoveterinary applications. Subsequent in vitro and in vivo efficacy testing of priority and valuable Aloe species with applications in ethnoveterinary medicine remain pertinent.

Citation

Aremu, A. O., Lawal, I. O., Amoo, S. O., Aremu, A. O., Staden, J. van, & Wyk, B. E. van. (2022). An analysis of the ethnoveterinary medicinal uses of the genus Aloe L. for animal diseases in Africa. Special Issue Section: Aloe Research: Current Research Endeavours and Future Research Directions., 147, 976–992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2022.02.022 Animals, reviews, in vitro, poultry, animal diseases, medicinal plants, leaves, plant extracts, traditional medicines, Animal Shells, crushing

Keywords

• Animals
• reviews
• in vitro
• poultry
• animal diseases
• medicinal plants
• leaves
• plant extracts
• traditional medicines
• Animal Shells
• crushing