CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) has established a dedicated research centre for producing herbal medicines for animals.
About five to six herbal products are developed by ‘Ethnoveterinary Herbal Product Research and Development Centre (EVHP R & D) functioning at Veterinary College and Research Institute (VCRI), Orathanadu in Thanjavur.
Ethnoveterinary medical practices are traditional methods of providing medical care to animals. Though indigenous medicinal practices have been followed for years, a dedicated research institute was necessitated to legitimise the usage of herbal products in animal care, said officials.
“The indiscriminate use of antibiotics and chemical drugs can be controlled once usage of ethnoveterinary medical practices gets a scientific tag,” said T Sivakumar, Dean, VCRI, Orathanadu.
Sivakumar said plants may contain many chemical constituents and the herbal drugs offer sick animals a greater range of effects. “Since there are many conditions for which etiopathogenesis is unknown, herbal products provide the sick animal with a choice of biochemical solutions for curing disease.
It can be used for both internal and external ailments.” The EVHP R & D is being set up under the Tamil Nadu Innovative Initiatives (TANII) scheme at a cost of Rs 13 crore. The infrastructure being set up to produce tablets and ointments, safety studies, are being carried out through certified Good Laboratory Practice Professional (GLP) in research laboratories.
“On field assessments have been completed for five to six herbal products, but clinical validations are yet to be completed. The first batch of medicines will likely be ready in another six to 12 months. It’s up to the government to formulate modalities in distribution,” added Sivakumar. On Tuesday, State Development Policy Council C Ponnaiyan inspected the herbal products. Officials said a total of 35 plants have been earmarked for product development.