1. Table 11. Ethnoveterinary medicine used for pigs
Erythrina pallida, E. micropteryx Immortelle Remove dead piglets from
womb
Cecropia peltata Cecropiaceae Bois canôt Boil leaf for labour pains
Bambusa vulgaris Gramineae Bamboo Boil leaf for labour pains
Centropogon cornutos Deer meat, crepe Feed pigs
coq
Coffee arabica L. / robusta Rutaceae Coffee Grounds given to scouring pigs
Constipation
1) Epsom salts and cod liver oil will flush pigs out or push up a piece of soap. C.
Worms
1) For pigs cut a young Pawpaw in half and feed. W.P.
2) Mayoc chappelle (Entada polystachya) give to pigs to eat. J.D.
Cecropia peltata leaves boiled in water are used in a bath for rheumatism in Guatemala
(Comerford, 1996). It is used for aches, abcesses, coughs, pains, fever, pertussis, skin lesions
and digestive problems in Eastern Nicaragua (Coe and Anderson, 1996a). Free fatty acids
including stearic, arachidic, behenic, lignoceric and cerotic acids were isolated from Cecropia
spp. Leaves of Cecropia peltata contain leucocyanidin. Cowleyin is found in the latex
(Lachman-White et al., 1992).
Bambusa bambos (Linn.) Voss. (Syn B. arundinacea Willd.) a similar species to Bambusa
vulgaris Scrad. ex Wendl., contains silica (90%) or silicum as hydrate of silicic acid, peroxide
of iron, potash, lime, aluminia, vegetable matter, cholin, betain, nuclease, urease, proteolytic
enzymes, diastatic and emulsyfying enzymes, and cyanogentic glucoside (Kapoor, 1990). An
unnamed alkaloid has been reported from Bambusa spp. Fresh juice of the leaves of the
bamboo plant had a weak ecbolic action in doses of 1 to 10 mg/ml and maximum activity at
3mg/ml on isolated human as well as rat uteri. Uterine stimulation was due to its action on
cholinergic receptors (Kapoor, 1990). Ecbolics are only effective for retained placenta if
given immediately after parturition (Peters and Laven, 1996).