medicinal plants as sustainable control agents against helminth parasite infection

Helminth infections are a significant cause of economic losses in animal husbandry. these diseases threaten livestock worldwide in various temperature zones, including tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. gastrointestinal nematodes (gins) can lead to substantial economic losses in livestock globally (1). treatment of gin infections have become challenging due to increasing anthelmintic resistance in many nematode species. overuse and frequent treatments have led to this problem. unfortunately, commonly used anthelmintic drug families, benzimidazoles and macrocyclic lactones are no longer as effective putting modern livestock at risk (2). this highlights the urgent need for new approaches such as genetic control techniques, pasture management, nutritional modification, biological regulation, vaccine development and the use of herbal products. there is a steady increase in studies aimed at confirming the anthelmintic potential of plants. many conventional and new medicines have been derived from plants and some of their active ingredients have been tested for their ability to treat parasites both in vitro and in vivo. natural herbal products offer great hope because they contain a large reservoir of ingredients with medicinal properties. these natural products have been used effectively against a variety of parasitic diseases by boosting viability and egg production reducing worm burden altering antioxidant enzyme levels and additionally inducing worm apoptosis (3). in conclusion, plants have the potential to benefit helminth control, however, further research is needed to determine safe and effective dosages for practical use in animal husbandry.