Matthias Hamburger - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Matthias Hamburger

Research paper thumbnail of A multicomponent herbal extract to treat subclinical ketosis of dairy cows

Planta Medica, Dec 1, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Inhalt Band 21, 2014

Complementary Medicine Research, Dec 1, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Natural Products as Potential Human Ether-A-Go-Go-Related Gene Channel Inhibitors – Screening of Plant-Derived Alkaloids

Planta Medica, Jun 25, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of What can we learn from past and recent Bavarian knowledge for the future development of European veterinary herbal medicine? An ethnoveterinary study

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2021

While the interest in finding medical solutions for the worldwide antibiotics crisis is rising, t... more While the interest in finding medical solutions for the worldwide antibiotics crisis is rising, the legal possibility of simplified authorization of herbal veterinary medicinal products is dwindling. An important basis for both the preservation and development of knowledge in veterinary herbal medicine are pharmacological and clinical studies on the performance of herbal remedies, based on historical written sources on the treatment of farm animals with medicinal plants, as well as current ethnoveterinary research. Nevertheless, there is only limited systematic ethnoveterinary research in Europe, with the exceptions of the Mediterranean region, Switzerland and Austria. We conducted a survey on the ethnoveterinary knowledge of farmers in Bavaria, and analyzed two regional historical textbooks. We documented the local veterinary knowledge about livestock in Bavaria based upon local historical textbooks and upon ethnoveterinary interviews to discover opportunities for the future development of European veterinary herbal medicine. In 2018/2019 we conducted 77 semi-structured interviews with 101 farmers from different types of farms. Detailed information about homemade herbal remedies (plant species, plant part, manufacturing process, source of knowledge) and the corresponding use reports (target animal species, category of use, route of administration, dosage, source of knowledge, frequency of use, last time of use and farmers' satisfaction) were collected. To compare our data with the literature, the use reports of two local historical textbooks were analyzed and compared with the data from the interviews. 716 homemade remedy reports (HRs) for altogether 884 use reports (URs) were documented in this study. We picked the 363 HRs that consisted of a single plant species with or without other natural products (HSHRs) for a deeper analysis. These HSHRs were prepared from 108 plant species that belonged to 57 botanical families. The most URs were documented for the families of: Asteraceae, Linaceae and Urticaceae. Calendula officinalis L. (Asteraceae), Linum usitatissimum L. (Linaceae) and Urtica dioica L. (Urticaceae) were the most often documented single species. A total of 448 URs were gathered for the 363 HSHRs. The largest number of URs was for treatments of gastrointestinal disorders and metabolic dysfunctions, followed by skin alterations and sores. For nearly half of the URs the source of knowledge was family and friends. For 80 URs the source of knowledge was different from that of the corresponding HSHRs. For 68% of the URs farmers mentioned at least one use during the last 5 years. Half of the plant species that were mentioned in the historical literature were also mentioned in URs by the interviewees. In Bavaria, medicinal plants are actively used by farmers to treat their livestock with a high level of satisfaction. The knowledge is not passed on from generation to generation in a purely static way, but is dynamically developed by the users in almost one fifth of the URs. Ethnoveterinary research combined with data from regional historical textbooks may facilitate pharmacological and clinical studies in veterinary medicine, and the discussion about a simplified registration for traditional herbal veterinary medicinal products.

Research paper thumbnail of Therapeutic use and dosage of homemade herbal remedies of Swiss farmers in veterinary phytotherapy

Research paper thumbnail of Contents Vol. 21, 2014

Complementary Medicine Research, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Effects of a Multicomponent Herbal Extract on the Course of Subclinical Ketosis in Dairy Cows – a Blinded Placebo-controlled Field-study

Planta Medica, 2020

A blinded placebo-controlled multi-center on-farm trial was conducted in dairy cows with subclini... more A blinded placebo-controlled multi-center on-farm trial was conducted in dairy cows with subclinical ketosis to investigate effects of a multicomponent herbal extract. Blood ketone levels were measured weekly in early lactating cows from 16 Swiss herds. Cows were subclassified based on their initial blood-β-hydroxybutyrate levels (≥ 1.0 [KET-low, 84 cows] and > 1.2 mmol/L [KET-high, 39 cows]) and randomly distributed to 3 groups treated orally with herbal extract containing Camellia sinensis, Cichcorium intybus, Gentiana lutea, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Taraxacum officinale, Trigonella foenum-graecum, and Zingiber officinale, sodium propionate, or placebo twice a day for 5 days. Milk yield, milk acetone, blood-β-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and glutamate dehydrogenase were analyzed over 2 wk. Linear mixed effect models were used for data analysis. No effects were found for nonesterifed fatty acids, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and gluc...

Research paper thumbnail of Lignans, Amides, and Saponins from Haplophyllum tuberculatum and Their Antiprotozoal Activity

Molecules, 2020

A screening of Sudanese medicinal plants for antiprotozoal activities revealed that the chlorofor... more A screening of Sudanese medicinal plants for antiprotozoal activities revealed that the chloroform and water fractions of the ethanolic root extract of Haplophyllum tuberculatum exhibited appreciable bioactivity against Leishmania donovani. The antileishmanial activity was tracked by HPLC-based activity profiling, and eight compounds were isolated from the chloroform fraction. These included lignans tetrahydrofuroguaiacin B (1), nectandrin B (2), furoguaiaoxidin (7), and 3,3′-dimethoxy-4,4′-dihydroxylignan-9-ol (10), and four cinnamoylphenethyl amides, namely dihydro-feruloyltyramine (5), (E)-N-feruloyltyramine (6), N,N′-diferuloylputrescine (8), and 7′-ethoxy-feruloyltyramine (9). The water fraction yielded steroid saponins 11–13. Compounds 1, 2, and 5–13 are reported for the first time from Haplophyllum species and the family Rutaceae. The antiprotozoal activity of the compounds plus two stereoisomeric tetrahydrofuran lignans—fragransin B2 (3) and fragransin B1 (4)—was determined ...

Research paper thumbnail of A multicomponent herbal feed additive improves somatic cell counts in dairy cows ‐ a two stage, multicentre, placebo‐controlled long‐term on‐farm trial

Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnoveterinary knowledge of farmers in bilingual regions of Switzerland – is there potential to extend veterinary options to reduce antimicrobial use?

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of HPLC-Based Activity Profiling for Antiprotozoal Compounds in the Endemic Iranian Medicinal Plant Helichrysum oocephalum

Journal of Natural Products, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of HPLC Based Activity Profiling for Inhibitors of Human Neutrophil Elastase in Isatis tinctoria Leaf Extracts

Natural Product Communications, 2006

In continuation of our search for anti-inflammatory constituents in lipophilic extracts of Isatis... more In continuation of our search for anti-inflammatory constituents in lipophilic extracts of Isatis tinctoria, an HPLC-based profiling for inhibitors of human neutrophil elastase was performed. Using a linear gradient profile, fractions with significant activity (>50%) appeared in the second half of the chromatogram and corresponded to moderately to highly lipophilic constituents. The active fractions of intermediate polarity were further analyzed by HPLC, TLC and GC. They contained mainly α-linolenic, linoleic, cis-11-octadecenoic acid, oleic and palmitic acids.

Research paper thumbnail of Antiprotozoal Germacranolide Sesquiterpene Lactones from Tanacetum sonbolii

Planta Medica, 2019

A phytochemical investigation of extracts from flowers and aerial parts of Tanacetum sonbolii aff... more A phytochemical investigation of extracts from flowers and aerial parts of Tanacetum sonbolii afforded 7 new germacranolide sesquiterpene lactones. The structures were established by a combination of 1- and 2-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and electronic circular dichroism. The in vitro antiprotozoal activity of the compounds against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and cytotoxicity against rat myoblast (L6) cells were determined. Compounds 4 and 5 showed IC50 values of 5.1 and 10.2 µM and selectivity indices of 3.9 and 4.0, respectively.

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnoveterinary contemporary knowledge of farmers in pre-alpine and alpine regions of the Swiss cantons of Bern and Lucerne compared to ancient and recent literature – Is there a tradition?

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Swiss ethnoveterinary knowledge on medicinal plants - a within-country comparison of Italian speaking regions with north-western German speaking regions

Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, Jan 3, 2017

Ethnoveterinary knowledge in Europe may play an important role as a basis for sustainable treatme... more Ethnoveterinary knowledge in Europe may play an important role as a basis for sustainable treatment options for livestock. Aims of our study were (a) to compare the ethnoveterinary practices of two culturally and sociodemographically different regions of Switzerland, (b) to compare results with earlier ethnoveterinary studies conducted in Switzerland and in adjacent Italian regions and, (c) to evaluate possible reasons for regional differences in European ethnoveterinary medicine. 25 interviews were conducted in 2014 in all Italian speaking regions (ItR) of Switzerland, and 31 interviews were held in five north-western German speaking Cantons (GeC). Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect detailed information regarding plant species, mode of preparation, dosage, route of administration, category of use, origin of knowledge, frequency of use, and satisfaction with outcomes of the treatments. A total of 162 homemade remedies in ItR and 219 in GeC were reported, out of whic...

Research paper thumbnail of Plant and natural product based homemade remedies manufactured and used by farmers of six central Swiss cantons to treat livestock

Research paper thumbnail of Combined use of extract libraries and HPLC-based activity profiling for lead discovery: potential, challenges, and practical considerations

Planta medica, 2014

A 96-well format plant extract library and a tailored technology platform have been set up for th... more A 96-well format plant extract library and a tailored technology platform have been set up for the discovery of new natural product lead compounds. The considerable advantages of the library approach are discussed. Key considerations such as sample generation, logistics, and data management are addressed. The potential of a HPLC-based profiling approach combining off-line bioassays with in-line and off-line spectroscopy (including HR-ESIMS and microprobe NMR) for tracking bioactivity is demonstrated with a selection of examples encompassing different types of bioassay formats. The information generated by this approach with regards to hit prioritization and preliminary structure activity-relationships is discussed. Practical aspects, such as validation of profiling protocols, the amounts of extracts to be applied, and the re-dissolution of fractions are addressed. Such information is intended for scientists aiming at implementing library-based discovery platforms in their own labora...

Research paper thumbnail of Treatment of organic livestock with medicinal plants: a systematic review of European ethnoveterinary research

Forschende Komplementärmedizin (2006), 2014

The EC Regulation for Organic Farming states that organic livestock should be treated preferably ... more The EC Regulation for Organic Farming states that organic livestock should be treated preferably with phytotherapeutic products. In spite of the high importance of organic livestock in Europe, primarily ruminants, today almost no phytotherapeutic product is registered for livestock. Also, information regarding veterinary phytotherapy is rare. The aim of this paper is to find approaches to cope with health problems of organic ruminants in Europe on the basis of findings from the European ethnoveterinary medicine (EuEVM). A systematic review of ethno-biomedicinal papers was conducted with the aid of the Scopus database, and 75 papers, from European countries were analyzed regarding ethnoveterinary information. A total of 590 plant species referring to 102 different plant families are reported to be used for animal treatment, with Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae being the most important families. The traditional use of some plant species (e.g. mallow, chamomile, wormwood) correspond...

Research paper thumbnail of Traditional use of herbs for treatment of farm animals by organic farmers in three Swiss cantons

Little is known about the usage of traditional herbs in the treatment of farm animals in central ... more Little is known about the usage of traditional herbs in the treatment of farm animals in central Europe, with exception of Austria.

Research paper thumbnail of Pflanzliche Hausmittel der Nordschweiz zur Behandlung von Haut und Wunden beim Nutztier

Research paper thumbnail of A multicomponent herbal extract to treat subclinical ketosis of dairy cows

Planta Medica, Dec 1, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Inhalt Band 21, 2014

Complementary Medicine Research, Dec 1, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Natural Products as Potential Human Ether-A-Go-Go-Related Gene Channel Inhibitors – Screening of Plant-Derived Alkaloids

Planta Medica, Jun 25, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of What can we learn from past and recent Bavarian knowledge for the future development of European veterinary herbal medicine? An ethnoveterinary study

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2021

While the interest in finding medical solutions for the worldwide antibiotics crisis is rising, t... more While the interest in finding medical solutions for the worldwide antibiotics crisis is rising, the legal possibility of simplified authorization of herbal veterinary medicinal products is dwindling. An important basis for both the preservation and development of knowledge in veterinary herbal medicine are pharmacological and clinical studies on the performance of herbal remedies, based on historical written sources on the treatment of farm animals with medicinal plants, as well as current ethnoveterinary research. Nevertheless, there is only limited systematic ethnoveterinary research in Europe, with the exceptions of the Mediterranean region, Switzerland and Austria. We conducted a survey on the ethnoveterinary knowledge of farmers in Bavaria, and analyzed two regional historical textbooks. We documented the local veterinary knowledge about livestock in Bavaria based upon local historical textbooks and upon ethnoveterinary interviews to discover opportunities for the future development of European veterinary herbal medicine. In 2018/2019 we conducted 77 semi-structured interviews with 101 farmers from different types of farms. Detailed information about homemade herbal remedies (plant species, plant part, manufacturing process, source of knowledge) and the corresponding use reports (target animal species, category of use, route of administration, dosage, source of knowledge, frequency of use, last time of use and farmers' satisfaction) were collected. To compare our data with the literature, the use reports of two local historical textbooks were analyzed and compared with the data from the interviews. 716 homemade remedy reports (HRs) for altogether 884 use reports (URs) were documented in this study. We picked the 363 HRs that consisted of a single plant species with or without other natural products (HSHRs) for a deeper analysis. These HSHRs were prepared from 108 plant species that belonged to 57 botanical families. The most URs were documented for the families of: Asteraceae, Linaceae and Urticaceae. Calendula officinalis L. (Asteraceae), Linum usitatissimum L. (Linaceae) and Urtica dioica L. (Urticaceae) were the most often documented single species. A total of 448 URs were gathered for the 363 HSHRs. The largest number of URs was for treatments of gastrointestinal disorders and metabolic dysfunctions, followed by skin alterations and sores. For nearly half of the URs the source of knowledge was family and friends. For 80 URs the source of knowledge was different from that of the corresponding HSHRs. For 68% of the URs farmers mentioned at least one use during the last 5 years. Half of the plant species that were mentioned in the historical literature were also mentioned in URs by the interviewees. In Bavaria, medicinal plants are actively used by farmers to treat their livestock with a high level of satisfaction. The knowledge is not passed on from generation to generation in a purely static way, but is dynamically developed by the users in almost one fifth of the URs. Ethnoveterinary research combined with data from regional historical textbooks may facilitate pharmacological and clinical studies in veterinary medicine, and the discussion about a simplified registration for traditional herbal veterinary medicinal products.

Research paper thumbnail of Therapeutic use and dosage of homemade herbal remedies of Swiss farmers in veterinary phytotherapy

Research paper thumbnail of Contents Vol. 21, 2014

Complementary Medicine Research, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Effects of a Multicomponent Herbal Extract on the Course of Subclinical Ketosis in Dairy Cows – a Blinded Placebo-controlled Field-study

Planta Medica, 2020

A blinded placebo-controlled multi-center on-farm trial was conducted in dairy cows with subclini... more A blinded placebo-controlled multi-center on-farm trial was conducted in dairy cows with subclinical ketosis to investigate effects of a multicomponent herbal extract. Blood ketone levels were measured weekly in early lactating cows from 16 Swiss herds. Cows were subclassified based on their initial blood-β-hydroxybutyrate levels (≥ 1.0 [KET-low, 84 cows] and > 1.2 mmol/L [KET-high, 39 cows]) and randomly distributed to 3 groups treated orally with herbal extract containing Camellia sinensis, Cichcorium intybus, Gentiana lutea, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Taraxacum officinale, Trigonella foenum-graecum, and Zingiber officinale, sodium propionate, or placebo twice a day for 5 days. Milk yield, milk acetone, blood-β-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and glutamate dehydrogenase were analyzed over 2 wk. Linear mixed effect models were used for data analysis. No effects were found for nonesterifed fatty acids, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and gluc...

Research paper thumbnail of Lignans, Amides, and Saponins from Haplophyllum tuberculatum and Their Antiprotozoal Activity

Molecules, 2020

A screening of Sudanese medicinal plants for antiprotozoal activities revealed that the chlorofor... more A screening of Sudanese medicinal plants for antiprotozoal activities revealed that the chloroform and water fractions of the ethanolic root extract of Haplophyllum tuberculatum exhibited appreciable bioactivity against Leishmania donovani. The antileishmanial activity was tracked by HPLC-based activity profiling, and eight compounds were isolated from the chloroform fraction. These included lignans tetrahydrofuroguaiacin B (1), nectandrin B (2), furoguaiaoxidin (7), and 3,3′-dimethoxy-4,4′-dihydroxylignan-9-ol (10), and four cinnamoylphenethyl amides, namely dihydro-feruloyltyramine (5), (E)-N-feruloyltyramine (6), N,N′-diferuloylputrescine (8), and 7′-ethoxy-feruloyltyramine (9). The water fraction yielded steroid saponins 11–13. Compounds 1, 2, and 5–13 are reported for the first time from Haplophyllum species and the family Rutaceae. The antiprotozoal activity of the compounds plus two stereoisomeric tetrahydrofuran lignans—fragransin B2 (3) and fragransin B1 (4)—was determined ...

Research paper thumbnail of A multicomponent herbal feed additive improves somatic cell counts in dairy cows ‐ a two stage, multicentre, placebo‐controlled long‐term on‐farm trial

Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 2020

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnoveterinary knowledge of farmers in bilingual regions of Switzerland – is there potential to extend veterinary options to reduce antimicrobial use?

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of HPLC-Based Activity Profiling for Antiprotozoal Compounds in the Endemic Iranian Medicinal Plant Helichrysum oocephalum

Journal of Natural Products, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of HPLC Based Activity Profiling for Inhibitors of Human Neutrophil Elastase in Isatis tinctoria Leaf Extracts

Natural Product Communications, 2006

In continuation of our search for anti-inflammatory constituents in lipophilic extracts of Isatis... more In continuation of our search for anti-inflammatory constituents in lipophilic extracts of Isatis tinctoria, an HPLC-based profiling for inhibitors of human neutrophil elastase was performed. Using a linear gradient profile, fractions with significant activity (>50%) appeared in the second half of the chromatogram and corresponded to moderately to highly lipophilic constituents. The active fractions of intermediate polarity were further analyzed by HPLC, TLC and GC. They contained mainly α-linolenic, linoleic, cis-11-octadecenoic acid, oleic and palmitic acids.

Research paper thumbnail of Antiprotozoal Germacranolide Sesquiterpene Lactones from Tanacetum sonbolii

Planta Medica, 2019

A phytochemical investigation of extracts from flowers and aerial parts of Tanacetum sonbolii aff... more A phytochemical investigation of extracts from flowers and aerial parts of Tanacetum sonbolii afforded 7 new germacranolide sesquiterpene lactones. The structures were established by a combination of 1- and 2-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and electronic circular dichroism. The in vitro antiprotozoal activity of the compounds against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and cytotoxicity against rat myoblast (L6) cells were determined. Compounds 4 and 5 showed IC50 values of 5.1 and 10.2 µM and selectivity indices of 3.9 and 4.0, respectively.

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnoveterinary contemporary knowledge of farmers in pre-alpine and alpine regions of the Swiss cantons of Bern and Lucerne compared to ancient and recent literature – Is there a tradition?

Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Swiss ethnoveterinary knowledge on medicinal plants - a within-country comparison of Italian speaking regions with north-western German speaking regions

Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, Jan 3, 2017

Ethnoveterinary knowledge in Europe may play an important role as a basis for sustainable treatme... more Ethnoveterinary knowledge in Europe may play an important role as a basis for sustainable treatment options for livestock. Aims of our study were (a) to compare the ethnoveterinary practices of two culturally and sociodemographically different regions of Switzerland, (b) to compare results with earlier ethnoveterinary studies conducted in Switzerland and in adjacent Italian regions and, (c) to evaluate possible reasons for regional differences in European ethnoveterinary medicine. 25 interviews were conducted in 2014 in all Italian speaking regions (ItR) of Switzerland, and 31 interviews were held in five north-western German speaking Cantons (GeC). Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect detailed information regarding plant species, mode of preparation, dosage, route of administration, category of use, origin of knowledge, frequency of use, and satisfaction with outcomes of the treatments. A total of 162 homemade remedies in ItR and 219 in GeC were reported, out of whic...

Research paper thumbnail of Plant and natural product based homemade remedies manufactured and used by farmers of six central Swiss cantons to treat livestock

Research paper thumbnail of Combined use of extract libraries and HPLC-based activity profiling for lead discovery: potential, challenges, and practical considerations

Planta medica, 2014

A 96-well format plant extract library and a tailored technology platform have been set up for th... more A 96-well format plant extract library and a tailored technology platform have been set up for the discovery of new natural product lead compounds. The considerable advantages of the library approach are discussed. Key considerations such as sample generation, logistics, and data management are addressed. The potential of a HPLC-based profiling approach combining off-line bioassays with in-line and off-line spectroscopy (including HR-ESIMS and microprobe NMR) for tracking bioactivity is demonstrated with a selection of examples encompassing different types of bioassay formats. The information generated by this approach with regards to hit prioritization and preliminary structure activity-relationships is discussed. Practical aspects, such as validation of profiling protocols, the amounts of extracts to be applied, and the re-dissolution of fractions are addressed. Such information is intended for scientists aiming at implementing library-based discovery platforms in their own labora...

Research paper thumbnail of Treatment of organic livestock with medicinal plants: a systematic review of European ethnoveterinary research

Forschende Komplementärmedizin (2006), 2014

The EC Regulation for Organic Farming states that organic livestock should be treated preferably ... more The EC Regulation for Organic Farming states that organic livestock should be treated preferably with phytotherapeutic products. In spite of the high importance of organic livestock in Europe, primarily ruminants, today almost no phytotherapeutic product is registered for livestock. Also, information regarding veterinary phytotherapy is rare. The aim of this paper is to find approaches to cope with health problems of organic ruminants in Europe on the basis of findings from the European ethnoveterinary medicine (EuEVM). A systematic review of ethno-biomedicinal papers was conducted with the aid of the Scopus database, and 75 papers, from European countries were analyzed regarding ethnoveterinary information. A total of 590 plant species referring to 102 different plant families are reported to be used for animal treatment, with Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae being the most important families. The traditional use of some plant species (e.g. mallow, chamomile, wormwood) correspond...

Research paper thumbnail of Traditional use of herbs for treatment of farm animals by organic farmers in three Swiss cantons

Little is known about the usage of traditional herbs in the treatment of farm animals in central ... more Little is known about the usage of traditional herbs in the treatment of farm animals in central Europe, with exception of Austria.

Research paper thumbnail of Pflanzliche Hausmittel der Nordschweiz zur Behandlung von Haut und Wunden beim Nutztier

Research paper thumbnail of Plant and natural product based homemade remedies manufactured and used by farmers of six central Swiss cantons to treat livestock

The use of medicinal plants and other natural multicomponent remedies might be one measure to red... more The use of medicinal plants and other natural multicomponent remedies might be one measure to reduce the use of antibiotics in livestock. Ethnoveterinary research has the potential to identify promising natural remedies. The knowledge about remedies for livestock was collected from farmers in six central Swiss cantons, Glarus, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Schwyz, Zug and Uri. Between February and April 2013 49 interviews with 63 farmers (25 females and 38 males, aged 24– 74) were conducted. We collected information on the manufacturing of 370 homemade remedies. Of these, 114 contained no plants, 26 contained a mixture of two to five plants, and 230 contained one plant species (defined as homemade single-herbal remedy report (HSHR)). These 230 HSHRs represented 68 plant species belonging to 35 different botanical families. Thirteen species were reported for the first time for ethnoveterinary use in Switzerland. Matricaria recutita, Calendula officinalis, Urtica dioica and Coffea were the most frequently used ingredients of HSHR. A total of 278 use reports (UR) were described for the 230 HSHR, (233 UR for treating cattle). Treatment of skin disorders (QD), gastrointestinal diseases and metabolic dysfunction (QA) were the most frequently mentioned uses for these remedies. Fewer uses were linked to treatments of the respiratory system (QR), the genito-urinary (QG) and musculo-skeletal systems (QM). In the categorie QA the most UR were described for Matricaria recutita, Linum usitatissimum, and Camellia sinensis. Quercus robur was mainly used to treat diarrhoea in calfs, Coffea Arabica to treat general gastrointestinal troubles, colic, abdominal pain or diarrhoea, and Arthemisia absinthium to treat general gastro-intestinal disorders, diarrhoea or lack of appetite. For four orally administered plant species (Artemisia absinthium, Avena sativa, Citrus x limon, Quercus robur) daily oral doses were determined for the first time (median: 0.03, 6.16, 0.01 and 0.58 g dry plant equivalent per kg 0.75). In the category QD the most often described plant species were Calendula officinalis, Matricaria recutita, Picea abies, Sanicula europaea and Senecio ovatus. For the latter two plant species we determined for the first time an ethnoveterinary based concentration in the finished product (median: 0.13 and 0.39 g dry plant equivalent per 100 g finished product). Medicinal plants are known, and used by farmers of central Switzerland mostly for treatment of skin and gastrointestinal diseases. According to recent pharmaceutical and human clinical research several plant species documented in this ethnoveterinary study are worth to be further investigated in clinical trials with livestock.

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnoveterinärmedizinische Forschung in der Schweiz