Natural Herbs as an Alternative Treatment against Fish Diseases

Abstract

Disease is one of the major constraints to sustainable fish production which can cause significant economic loss. Antimicrobials and other veterinary drugs are commonly used in aquaculture to prevent or treat disease outbreaks. However, continuous use of aquaculture drugs may lead to cause negative environmental impact from farms to aquatic organisms. As an alternative to conventional methods many plant-derived compounds such as essential oils, plant extracts have been used as an efficient treatment to control parasites in aquaculture systems. The most important herbal species viz. Allium sativum (Garlic), Curcuma longa (Turmeric), Zingiber officinale (Ginger), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi), Allium cepa (Onion) are available in India used to treat various diseases in aquaculture industry.