ABSTRACT
The valorization of wood industry residues is very desirable from a circular economy perspective. Pine needle extracts are known for their health-promoting properties and therefore can be used as herbal remedies and nutritional supplements. Since the withdrawal of antibiotics as growth promoters in the European Union, natural feed additives that improve poultry health and production are needed. It was proposed that pine needle extract could be a good alternative to antibiotic usage at sub-therapeutic concentrations. The results relevant to our assumption could be obtained by using domestic chickens as an in vivo model for the evaluation of gut microbiota-altering properties of pine needle extract as an herbal supplement. We tested the antimicrobial effects of Baltic pine (Pinus sylvestris) needle extract. Then, we used chicken (Gallus gallus) that received feed supplemented with two different concentrations of the extract for 40 days to evaluate the changes in gut microbiota using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This preliminary study demonstrated trends toward dose-dependent desirable changes in broiler microbiome, such as a reduction in the relative abundance of Campylobacter.
ABSTRACT
The German chamomile is an old herbal medicine, which is widely used in medical practice. The water and ethanol extracts of matricaria flowers are mainly used for their anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and spasmolytic properties. It is possible to prepare tea of pulverized matricaria flowers with 0.2 mm sized particles packed in tea bags. The investigation of anatomical diagnostical identification, qualitative and quantitative indices showed that matricaria top got after gathering flowers can be recommend as a herb for medical use. The thin-layer chromatographic research showed that matricaria top contains 9 flavonoids (2 more than flowers) and it's essential oil--10 components (one more than flowers). The technological study of practical use of matricaria top approved the possibility to prepare the fluid extract of matricaria top for external use. The results of investigations showed the possibility of complex use of Matricaria recutita cultivated in Latvia.
