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| Thai Wildlife > Elephant |
Traditional Herbal Remedies for Thai Elephants
4. Discussion of Results
4.1 Traditional herbal remedies
The majority of traditional remedies are simple, single ingredient preparations. Many ingredients are borrowed from human herbal medicine (e.g. tamarind, turmeric, Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss. var. siamensis) and asafoetida), whereas others have evolved by observing elephants feeding in the forest. Observant mahouts noticed that elephants consistently ate the same plant whenever certain symptoms were displayed (e.g. Shorea obtusa and S. siamensis during colic).
Through generations, this knowledge was honed and traditional veterinarians specialised in it. The six traditional veterinarians that we spoke with provided us with the most information, as they were able to give us more complicated, multiple ingredient formulas in addition to the numerous simple remedies. Some mahouts used traditional remedies, but had to get them from these veterinarians, as they did not possess the knowledge themselves.
Of the 372 mahouts in elephant camps, only 15 provided us with information on herbal treatments. The remaining mahouts either used the same remedies (i.e. the same few remedies were often employed by many mahouts in the camp), or more often, the mahouts preferred western veterinary medicine because of the convenience. No effort to gather, prepare and administer herbals was required.
Two ailments were consistently treated by the same methods throughout Thailand. Inappetance/refusal to drink was always treated with oral tamarind and salt to stimulate thirst. Musth was always dealt with by tying up the elephant, decreasing food, giving lots of water and often feeding wax gourds (Benincasa hispida).
All other complaints were treated with a variety of remedies, although some were common to both the NE and NW of Thailand. For instance, Acacia rugata and shells were used in both areas to treat eye problems and we found packages of pre-made "strength" pellets (Mong Poh Seng) in Chiang Mai and Pattaya elephant camps.
The remainder of the treatments varied from place to place, but the same general ingredients were common to a given area. For example, Azadirachta indica A. Juss. var. siamensis was widely used against ectoparasites by people from the northeast, whereas Entada scandens was the equivalent remedy in the northwest. As expected, the plants used reflected the local abundance and this accounted for many of the differences in remedies between areas.
Critical evaluation of herbal remedies For plants with scientific names, traditional uses, studied medicinal properties and known active ingredients.. The growing interest in ethnoveterinary medicine has helped to drive the research on herbal plants used for treatment of humans. As a result, elephant remedies with ingredients common to human medicine are often well-documented and well-studied.
However, the elephant, with its unique physiology, is also prone to a variety of ailments specific to this species. For instance, bloat/colic is a complaint primarily restricted to hindgut fermenters. In cases caused by excessive gas production, carminatives known to human medicine such as Kaempferia galanga and Zingiber cassumanar are employed. However, other remedies developed from observation of elephants also seem efficacious, but the mode of action is usually unknown. Still other remedies appear to have no scientific basis behind them.
Some have evolved from originally effective treatments that can no longer be used (e.g. feeding Pang Lao, or fermented rice from the making of Thai whiskey, has been replaced by spitting Thai whiskey externally over the elephant for internal problems like bloat/colic). Other treatments may be associated with superstitious learning (e.g. the elephant was going to improve anyway, therefore the treatment appeared effective and became incorporated into the knowledge passed down) or they may provide a placebo effect. Some may simply provide the elephant with extra care and attention from the mahout. This may improve the psychological well-being of the elephant, which may in turn impact physical health. A critical discussion of individual remedies follows.
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