Traditional treatment for domestic animals in Kamrup Metro district of Assam, India A. Kar and S.K. Borthakur 1 Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Guwahati-781014 ashishvision10@rediffmail.com; skbgu1@gmail.com 1 Correspondent author Abstract The paper deals with traditional herbal treatment of Cow, Horse, Buffalo, Goat, Fowl and Pig against different ailments/ complaints involving 30 plant species prevalent among the villagers of Kamrup Metro District of Assam. The paper emphasizes in depth study in this line and also for developing new or more efficacious remedies through further follow up investigation on these plants. Keywords: Traditional treatment, Domestic animal, Kamrup Metro district. INTRODUCTION Assam is primarily an agriculture dependent state of India. For agricultural practices rural people are dependent on Cow and Buffalo. Goat provides milk and meat. Fowl provides egg and meat. Pig provides meat and is used mostly by all the tribal communities. Horse is for transport of commodities. Dung of cow, buffalo and horse are also used as bio fuel, biogas and bio fertilizer. Rearing of these animals also ensure economic security of the villagers. The study area, Kamrup Metro District, lies between 90° 45´ to 92° 15´ East longitude and 25° 45´ and 26° 15´ North latitudes. The district is bounded by Meghalaya on the South-East, Kamrup Rural District on the North and West, Morigaon district on the East (Guha 2007). Very limited work has been carried out on herbal treatment of animals in Assam. However, some work were carried out by Borthakur et al., 1996; Borthakur & Sharma, 1998 and Borthakur et al., 2001. The aim of the present study is to document the traditional medicaments for domestic animals from 9 villages of Kamrup Metro District. Recipe METHODOLOGY Survey on the traditional treatment of domesticated animals was initiated by adopting the methodologies proposed by Jain (1989). Intensive field trips have been conducted in 9 villages (viz., Morokgolla, Garigaon, Jambari, Jarpara, Gorol, Majirgaon, Kendu kuchi, Rampur and Birkuchi) where people rear many domesticated animals and information have been collected since 2007. Information was collected with the help of local herbal healers treating such animals. Comprehensive questionnaires containing the local names of plants, parts used, ailments, dosage, method of preparation, administration were carefully documented through interviews with them and other elderly persons of the locality. The data thus generated during the field investigation were cross-examined and recorded properly. Prior information consent (PIC) of Community Chiefs (since all the ethnomedicinal recipes and traditional knowledge are community property) was obtained to put their practice in the public domain. The collected specimens were preserved following Pleione 2(1): 12 - 16, 2008. © East Himalayan Society for Spermatophyte Taxonomy