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IDENTIFYING THE RIGHT PLANT

Before preparing the herbal therapy,we must make sure that we know the right plant to use and which livestock disease will be treated. The names of these plants vary from region to region dependind on the local languages. Sometimes,different plant species may bear the same local name causing confusion in identification. This problem is normally solved by using the Botanical name as well as the local name.
Here are some ways of identifying the right plant:
-Type of plant~is it a tree,shrub,grass,
Vine,climber? Does it have narrow/broad leaves? Where do the leaves grow? On the stem,branches,top of the stem? Does it have flowers? Does it bear seeds? What is the texture and colour of seeds/fruits? What is the size of seeds/fruits? What is the colour and texture of bark? In which geographical and climatic locations does it grow? Is it seasonal or perenial? In which topography does it grow-along rivers and valleys,hills? Is it a dryland or wetland plant?
All this considerations and many more that are not highlighted here will help in identifying the right plant and looking for it in the right areas.

COLLECTING MATERIALS FOR PREPARATION
Not all parts of medicinal plants are useful in extraction of herbal medicine as the medicinal content is sometimes concentrated in some parts only eg.leaves,stems,roots etc.

Thorough knowledge of the parts bearing the medicinal content is useful both in maximising potency and efficacy as well as conserving the medicinal plants since only the right part of plant is collected and the rest is allowed to grow.

With very few exceptions mostly in nutritional therapy,only the parts collected from mature plants are useful in herbal preparations. Young plants do not contain the right concentrations of the medicinal content for potency and efficacy. However,they are used in mineral and vitamin supplements during the organic livestock mineral lick preparations.

Here are some guidelines for medicinal plant parts collection;
-Leaves and Stems are best collected during daytime when the plant metabolism is at its highest rate.
-Flowers are best collected in the morning when buds are about to open and the sun is still low. Collect buds and full bloom flowers in equal portions.
-Fruits are collected when ripe and in the morning or before nightfall.
-Seeds are collected from ripe fruits before dispersal.
-Bark should be collected from vigourously growing plants that are mature. Collect small portions from stem and branches without ringing round the plant to avoid death.
-Roots are collected from mature plants only taking a few from each similar plant to avoid plant death.

HANDLING OF COLLECTED MATERIALS
Wash all materials after collection to remove dirt!
-Materials to be dried for storage should be chopped into small pieces and be air-dried under shade. Drying in direct sun exposes them to ultra violet rays which destroy the active medicinal ingredients.. When a heat source is used for drying,gentle heat is recommended to save the active ingredients from degeneration
-Chopping and trimming is recommended for ease of handling and storage.
-Pest damage and rotting should be prevented during storage. Store in dry water tight containers away from direct sunlight with the appropriate labels.

METHODS OF PREPARATION
Boiling;this is the most common method in traditional herbal medicine but it is not recommended in all cases as medicinal content in some plants is destroyed by heat. Most material shoul be boiled for an average of 30 minutes to maximise extraction. Dried stored materials can be boiled at two separate times for use. The interval between the two boilings should be short to avoid deterioration during the storage.

Soaking;in cases where boiling is not recommended,soaking in warm water is done to facilitate extraction of medicinal content. Soaking overnight will normally be able to extract maximum medicinal ingredients.

Powder;dried material are pounded and ground into fine particles for mixing with water/oil during administration.

Juice;pound fresh plants and then strain through a clean cloth to extract juice. Juice can be used as is or diluted with water as recommended.

Paste;make paste by grinding fresh materials or mixing dried powder with water,oil,molasses, or honey.

Bolus; a bolus can be made from paste and rolled into appropriate shape and size before immediate use or dried for storage.

Each of the above methods is chosen by considering;
Potency and efficacy.

Route of administration whether external or internal.

Whether the preparation is for immediate use or will be stored to be used later.

You may find that the same plant is used to treat different diseases or conditions in which case two or more different methods of preparation may be used.

In our upcoming blog postings,we will look at Ethnoveterinary treatment of some common Tropical livestock diseases and the medicinal plants used.PROFARMS CONSULTANTS,NAIROBI-KENYA