Cassia Fistula: Potential Health-Promoting Candidate for Livestock and Poultry

The beneficial uses of natural herbal plants in medical sciences have achieved great attention due to promising health benefits in comparison with synthetic pharmaceutics. Cassia fistula (CF) is one of the most famous medicinal plants due to its broad range of incredible biological functions, such as laxative or purgative, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antitussive, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiparasitic and wound healing as well. Moreover, flavonoids derived from CF, such as tannins and glycosides, exhibit a broad spectrum of therapeutic activities and low toxic effects. Previously most studies discussed in vitro-based models, humans, and rodents. The aim of this review is to highlight the medicinal importance of CF on the production performance of animals. Up to now, there are still many research areas waiting to be explored, such as finding out the metabolic pathway of flavonoids of CF in different animal models, mainly focus on poultry. Therefore, the present chapter aimed to attract attention to health-promoting and medicinal uses of this plant in poultry and animals. The above-mentioned research will provide further medicinal development of this genus.

Keywords: Animals, Cassia fistula, Growth promoter, Medicinal properties, Poultry.