Ethnoveterinary medicines used for horses in Trinidad and in British Columbia, Canada

Cheryl Lans¹ , Nancy Turner¹ , Gerhard Brauer² , Grant Lourenco³ and Karla Georges⁴

¹University of Victoria, Environmental Science, British Columbia, V8W 3P5, Canada

²University of Victoria, Health Information Science, British Columbia, V8W 3P5, Canada

³c/o Trinidad and Tobago Racing Authority, Santa Rosa Park, Churchill Roosevelt Highway, O'Meara, Arima, Trinidad and Tobago

⁴School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mt. Hope, Trinidad and Tobago

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Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2006, 2:31doi:10.1186/1746-4269-2-31


Published:	7 August 2006

Abstract

This paper investigates the commonalities in ethnoveterinary medicine used for horses between Trinidad (West Indies) and British Columbia (Canada). These research areas are part of a common market in pharmaceuticals and are both involved in the North American racing circuit. There has been very little research conducted on medicinal plants used for horses although their use is widespread. The data on ethnoveterinary medicines used for horses was obtained through key informant interviews with horse owners, trainers, breeders, jockeys, grooms and animal care specialists in two research areas: Trinidad and British Columbia (BC). A participatory validation workshop was held in BC. An extensive literature review and botanical identification of the plants was also done. In all, 20 plants were found to be used in treating racehorses in Trinidad and 97 in BC. Of these the most-evidently effective plants 19 of the plants used in Trinidad and 66 of those used in BC are described and evaluated in this paper. Aloe vera, Curcuma longa and Ricinus communis are used in both research areas. More research is needed in Trinidad to identify plants that respondents claimed were used in the past. Far more studies have been conducted on the temperate and Chinese medicinal plants used in BC and therefore these ethnoveterinary remedies reflect stronger evidence of efficacy.