Evaluation of the effects of some species of medicinal plants on broilers

Nowadays, the application of medicinal plants in the human health and animal production is increasing, due to the great existent concern at world level for the crossed possible resistance to the antibiotics for many microorganisms as a response to indiscriminate subtherapeutic use in broilers. Poultry production is undergoing a continuous challenge to develop management strategies to optimize chickens’ efficiency while limiting food safety concerns. Tradition-ally, antimicrobials have been widely used for improving health and growth performance in poultry; however, the increased public awareness about the risk of developing cross-resistance of pathogens to antibiotics has resulted in the gradual removal of antibiotics for therapeutic and prophylactic uses in food animals. feed additives originating from plants, and consisting of herbs, spices, fruit, and other plant parts, include many different bioactive ingredients. genus Withania (Family: Solanaceae) is a highly acclaimed genus of medicinal plants. Between the species of Withania, two (Withania somnifera (WS) and Withania coagulans(WC)) are significant. In this review aimed to sum up the present trends in the use of WS and WC as a feed additives in poultry with a special focus on their interaction with production performance, in vivo oxidative status and immune system

Keywords:

feed additive , broiler , Medicinal plants , Withania