An Inventory of Anthelmintic Plants across the Globe

Abstract

A wide range of novelties and significant developments in the field of veterinary science to treat helminth parasites by using natural plant products have been assessed in recent years. To the best of our knowledge, to date, there has not been such a comprehensive review of 19 years of articles on the anthelmintic potential of plants against various types of helminths in different parts of the world. Therefore, the present study reviews the available information on a large number of medicinal plants and their pharmacological effects, which may facilitate the development of an effective management strategy against helminth parasites. An electronic search in four major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) was performed for articles published between January 2003 and April 2022. Information about plant species, local name, family, distribution, plant tissue used, and target parasite species was tabulated. All relevant studies meeting the inclusion criteria were assessed, and 118 research articles were included. In total, 259 plant species were reviewed as a potential source of anthelmintic drugs. These plants can be used as a source of natural drugs to treat helminth infections in animals, and their use would potentially reduce economic losses and improve livestock production.

The Polypeptides/Proteins Exuded from Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Seeds Induce Ultrastructural and Biomechanical Modifications of the Caenorhabditis elegans Surface and Inhibit the Nematode Motility.

“…During evolution, plants were exposed to a variety of abiotic and/or biotic factors, which, under certain circumstances, may have been detrimental to their growth, development and productivity [43,44]. Seed exudates represent a useful source of defense molecules, which are mainly polypeptides/proteins and secondary metabolites, some of which have the capacity to specifically inhibit the development of certain pathogens [20,22,[45][46][47][48].…”

Prevalence of Helminths in Small Ruminant Farms and Evaluation of Control Practices Used to Counter Anthelmintic Resistance in Southern Italy

“…Compared to modern veterinary therapies, the use of plants as anthelmintics has some advantages, such as low cost, lack of side effects, and ease of access. In the past, much information on the antiparasitic properties of plants was passed down orally from generation to generation and lacked scientific validity [ 52 ].…”

Moringa oleifera as a Natural Alternative for the Control of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Equines: A Review

“…For this reason, this has become an important problem in veterinary medicine and, consequently, in recent years, research focused on finding new control alternatives has increased, and among the most promising is the use of plants, specifically those that present high concentrations of bioactive compounds [14]. In plants, these compounds are produced for various physiological functions, such as defense against pathogen attack and protection against abiotic stress, but within the organism of humans and animals, they produce medicinal effects [15]. Therefore, there are plants that have been used throughout the world and from generation to generation as a cure or treatment for countless diseases and their symptoms since it has been shown that they have antibacterial, anthelmintic, and insecticidal properties [16,17].…”