Ethnoveterinary knowledge of rural producers in the city of Cacoal and Espigão do D’Oeste/Rondônia

Abstract

The objective of this work was to identify and analyze the ethnoveterinary knowledge in small rural properties in the municipalities of Cacoal and Espigão D’Oeste in Rondônia, Brazil. 82 small rural family farms were visited, and a semi-structured questionnaire was applied to them. The questionnaire was composed of multiple-choice and open questions related to which medicinal plant species used, storage and use methods, part of the plant used, animal species treated, the ethnobotanical origin, and ethnopharmacological knowledge. From all the farms visited, 54 farms reported frequent use of medicinal plants in animals. The study identified 24 medicinal plant species being used to treat 9 different pathologies. Cattle presented the highest number of treatment reports, followed by dogs, birds, and horses. The most used route of administration was oral through leaf, bark, and/or root tea or mixed with food. In this study, it was observed that ethnoveterinary knowledge is acquired mainly by the experience passed down through older generations. Also, ethnoveterinary knowledge use is motivated by the reduction of food contamination by medication residues and the low cost of treatment. For use, the most valuable plants mentioned by the interviewees were the copaíba, neem, bitter melon, and mountain arnica. This study has shown the common use of ethnoveterinary knowledge, this practice mainly supports the rescue of the traditional knowledge brought by migrants from other regions of Brazil.