Importance of herbs in aquaculture; Cinnamon a potent enhancer of growth and immunity in fish, Ctenopharyngodon idella

Aquaculture practices always strive for the betterment of human lives and for providing cheaper resources for fish production. As fish is the most common food source all over the world, its sustainable production is very important. The use of herbs provides a cheaper way towards the progress of aquaculture. Herbs are used in place of expensive chemicals and growth enhancers. Like others, cinnamon is also a good alternate for growth chemicals. Cinnamon is an aggregate of many related species with different names depending on the environmental conditions of different landmasses. Cinnamon contains many compounds and chemicals which are important for fish growth. Cinnamon when added to fish feed makes the fish fight against stress and grow healthy than before. Cinnamaldehydes, polyphenols, carbohydrates, flavonoids, etc., boost up the immune system of fish and act as an important antioxidant and antibiotic. It fastens the growth rate of fish and enhances the other growth and blood parameters as compared to other aquaculture systems using chemicals. Moreover, the use of cinnamon as a growth and immunity promotor is cheap and environmentally friendly compared to other synthetic antibiotics.

Keywords:

Antibiotic , Herb , Cinnamon , Fish , Immunity , Growth