Ethnoveterinary Herbal Practices Are Associated with Reduced Within-Farm Antibiotic Use and Improved Farm Performance in Commercial Poultry in Bangladesh

1. The Global Challenge: Antimicrobial Resistance & One Health

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in commercial livestock production represents one of the most pressing threats to global public health and food security. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), poultry farming has intensified rapidly to meet burgeoning protein demands. However, inadequate regulatory oversight, easy over-the-counter access to critical veterinary drugs, and limited diagnostic infrastructure have historically led to widespread prophylactic and metaphylactic antibiotic overuse.

Under the One Health framework — which recognizes the inseparable link between human health, animal health, and environmental ecosystems — antibiotic residues and resistant pathogens from agricultural run-off and animal food products directly enter the human food chain. In Bangladesh, while commercial poultry farmers have long used traditional ethnoveterinary remedies as cost-effective alternatives, these practices remained empirically undocumented at an epidemiological scale.

To address this evidence gap, our multi-institutional research team designed and executed an extensive cross-sectional study across Bangladesh to systematically document plant species, evaluate clinical and economic associations with antibiotic use trajectories, and evaluate farmer knowledge regarding food safety.

2. Nationwide Study Design: 795 Farms Across 35 Districts

The study was conducted between January and March 2026, encompassing 795 commercial poultry farmers. To ensure geographic and systemic representativeness, sampling spanned 35 districts across all 8 administrative divisions of Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur, and Mymensingh), capturing broiler, commercial layer, and indigenous-cross Sonali farming operations.

Of the 795 surveyed farms, 35.8% (n = 285) actively implemented ethnoveterinary herbal remedies, while 64.2% (n = 510) relied strictly on conventional commercial pharmaceutical regimens.

3. Documented Ethnoveterinary Plant Species

The investigation cataloged 14 primary medicinal plant species actively prepared by farmers to treat gastrointestinal disturbances, respiratory distress, heat stress, and general immune suppression in poultry flocks:

• Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) — 22.8% adoption: Leaves and powdered extracts administered via drinking water or feed additives for growth promotion, immune stimulation, and nutritional supplementation.
• Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) — 21.4% adoption: Rhizome decoctions and crushed pastes targeting respiratory infections, digestive sluggishness, and cold stress.
• Lemon / Lime (Citrus × limon (L.) Osbeck) — 20.0% adoption: Fresh fruit juice administered in drinking water during peak heat periods for electrolyte balance, citric acid sanitization, and appetite stimulation.
• Garlic (Allium sativum L.): Crushed cloves utilized for broad-spectrum antibacterial and anthelmintic support.
• Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.): Rhizome powder known for curcumin-mediated anti-inflammatory and gut barrier protective properties.

4. Key Empirical Findings: Antibiotics and Performance

Our quantitative findings revealed statistically significant shifts in production parameters and antibiotic reliance among herbal adopters:

Note: These associations represent an observational empirical signal and reflect within-group temporal shifts; they are strictly non-causal as randomized controlled trials are required for formal pharmacological efficacy confirmation.

5. Industrial Engineering & Statistical Analytics Architecture

My contribution focused on the industrial engineering, epidemiological data pipeline, and predictive modeling framework:

• Statistical Rigor: Implemented comprehensive non-parametric statistical hypothesis testing using Python 3.10 (scipy.stats v1.11 and statsmodels v0.14) to accommodate skewed distribution profiles in farm operational variables.
• Multivariable Logistic Regression: Modeled the sociotechnical predictors governing herbal adoption. The strongest positive predictor of herbal remedy adoption was peer behavior — neighboring farmers using herbal remedies increased the odds of adoption by 2.74x (OR = 2.741, 95% Bootstrap CI: 2.550–2.940, p < 0.001), followed by validated AMR knowledge scores (OR = 1.511, 95% CI: 1.298–1.776, p < 0.001).
• Exploratory Machine Learning Benchmarking: Applied 6 machine learning classification models paired with SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to explore potential predictive patterns of overall farmer satisfaction. The classifiers revealed near-random discriminative performance (AUC range: 0.407–0.535), underscoring that farmer satisfaction is driven by complex socioeconomic realities rather than simple linear operational metrics alone.

6. The Food Safety Paradox: Phytochemical Residue Risks

While herbal remedies are widely perceived by farmers and consumers as completely "safe" and "natural" alternatives to synthetic pharmaceuticals, our study revealed a critical regulatory and veterinary health vulnerability:

Only 30.2% of herbal users were aware of potential phytochemical residue risks in poultry meat and table eggs.

Crude herbal preparations contain biologically active secondary metabolites, alkaloids, and volatile compounds that can accumulate in muscle tissue and egg yolks if proper withdrawal periods and standardized dosing regimens are not observed. This highlights an urgent policy need for standardized veterinary pharmacovigilance, scientific dosage guidelines, and farmer education.

7. Interdisciplinary Collaboration & Authors

This research exemplifies the power of cross-disciplinary collaboration bridging veterinary medicine, clinical science, and industrial engineering analytics:

• Jubayer Mahmud Nirjus: Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), Patuakhali, Bangladesh.
• Mousumi Saha: Department of Surgery & Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine & Animal Science, Gazipur Agricultural University (GAU), Gazipur, Bangladesh.
• Rudra Sarker: Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet, Bangladesh.

8. Full Citation & Access Links

View Article on ScienceDirect (Elsevier) View on PubMed (NLM) Rudra's ORCID Profile Google Scholar Profile

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Connect With Me

For academic inquiries, collaboration proposals, or data sharing discussions:

• ORCID — 0009-0001-4545-0932
• ResearchGate
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• Email — rudrasarker130@gmail.com