India Advances Herbal Veterinary Care by Incubating Three Traditional Livestock Therapies

Livestock plays a central role in rural livelihoods, and the dairy sector—powered significantly by women farmers—is critical to food security, nutrition, and household income.

India has taken a significant step toward integrating traditional wisdom with modern veterinary science by successfully incubating three unique, indigenous health practices aimed at improving livestock health and productivity. These practices—focused on controlling ectoparasite infestations, boosting milk production through natural galactagogues, and preventing or treating retained placenta in dairy animals—have been scientifically validated and prepared for commercial adoption, marking a major milestone in sustainable animal healthcare.

The initiative stems from India’s rich heritage of biodiversity-based knowledge. For centuries, rural communities have relied on plant-based remedies to manage animal ailments, with many farmers—especially women in the dairy sector—passing down therapeutic practices through generations. These methods, honed through lived experience, offer effective and eco-friendly alternatives to modern chemical treatments, which often carry risks of drug resistance, toxicity, and harmful residues in milk or meat.

Recognising this enormous potential, the National Innovation Foundation–India (NIF)—an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST)—has taken on the responsibility of documenting, validating, and incubating grassroots livestock-health innovations across the country. Through rigorous scientific evaluation, NIF aims to bridge the gap between traditional knowledge and formal veterinary medicine, enabling the development of herbal therapies that are safe, affordable, and environmentally sound.

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Strengthening Livestock Health Through Traditional Knowledge

Livestock plays a central role in rural livelihoods, and the dairy sector—powered significantly by women farmers—is critical to food security, nutrition, and household income. However, recurring challenges such as tick and mite infestations, postpartum complications, and poor lactation performance often reduce productivity and profitability.

Conventional veterinary treatments, though effective, have limitations:

• rising resistance to chemical acaricides

• harmful residues in milk and meat

• high costs for small farmers

• negative environmental impact

Indigenous herbal remedies, when validated and standardised, offer a sustainable way forward.

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Validation and Refinement of Three Traditional Therapies

NIF-India identified outstanding traditional knowledge holders from Odisha and Bihar, whose plant-based veterinary practices showed strong potential for industry-level application. The incubation process involved:

• identifying novel herbal formulations with therapeutic relevance

• standardising dosage, ensuring consistency for field use

• enhancing efficacy through formulation refinement

• conducting safety assessments to meet regulatory expectations

• evaluating cost-effectiveness for wide adoption

The three validated traditional practices include:

1. An herbal treatment for ectoparasite (tick) infestation, showing high efficacy in reducing tick loads and restoring skin health.

2. A galactagogue formulation to safely enhance milk production in lactating dairy animals.

3. A therapy for preventing and treating retained placenta, a common post-calving condition that can lead to infection, infertility, and reduced milk yield.

Images such as Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 depict the extent of tick infestation and the hard ticks affecting livestock, while Fig. 4 shows the remarkable improvement following application of the indigenous remedy.

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Industry Collaboration for Market-Ready Herbal Products

To translate these validated therapies into accessible commercial products, NIF partnered with Rakesh Health Care India Pvt. Ltd., a Gujarat-based leader in herbal veterinary medicines. The company assessed the mechanisms, dosage profiles, and observed outcomes of the three technologies before entering into a licensing agreement with NIF.

This collaboration marks a crucial step in scaling up traditional veterinary knowledge:

• ensuring mass production of herbal remedies

• meeting industry-quality standards

• expanding market reach across rural and urban areas

• supporting farmers with safer, affordable alternatives

The agreement also underscores the growing demand within the veterinary sector for multi-herb, eco-friendly formulations capable of overcoming limitations associated with single-drug chemical treatments.

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A Sustainable Path Forward for Livestock Healthcare

As concerns rise over drug resistance, chemical residues, and environmental impact, herbal veterinary solutions are gaining renewed global attention. India’s indigenous knowledge systems—deeply rooted in local biodiversity—have the potential to fill therapeutic gaps, particularly in rural areas where access to modern veterinary services may be limited.

The adoption of these herbal technologies supports:

• sustainability, by reducing reliance on synthetic chemicals

• affordability, making healthcare accessible for small farmers

• safety, ensuring no harmful residues enter the food chain

• environmental protection, by using biodegradable plant-based solutions

Moreover, these innovations contribute to rural empowerment by recognising the expertise of traditional knowledge holders and integrating their wisdom into mainstream veterinary care.

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Preserving Heritage, Boosting Livelihoods

By validating and commercialising these three herbal livestock therapies, NIF-India has demonstrated how traditional Indian wisdom can offer powerful answers to modern challenges. This breakthrough not only enhances the nation’s livestock healthcare ecosystem but also strengthens rural livelihoods, particularly for women dairy farmers who form the backbone of animal husbandry in many regions.

As global interest in sustainable agriculture grows, India’s approach—merging grassroots innovation with scientific rigor—could serve as a model for environmentally responsible, culturally grounded veterinary care.