Potential of Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice) Extract an Alternative Biochemical and Therapeutic Agent Against Coccidiosis in Broiler Chickens

To control coccidiosis, anticoccidials are generally used as feed additives. However, the frequent usage has given rise to the occurrence of resistant strains to available anticoccidial drugs. Botanicals may work as substitutes to anticoccidial drugs. The current research was designed to evaluate the efficacy of aqueous methanol extracts of Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) (roots) as anticoccidial in different concentrations i.e. (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg of body weight). For in vivo trial, 105-day-old broiler birds were grouped into seven equal groups (A, B, C, D, E, F and G). At the age of one week, groups A, B and C were orally treated with three doses of the G. glabra extracts (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg of body weight, respectively). Group D was medicated with Vitamin E and Group E worked as the infected medicated control group. Group F served as the infected non-medicated control group (PBS treated, negative control) and Group G was designated as the normal control group (non-infected and non-medicated group). At the age of the 14th day, all groups were infected orally with 60.000 sporulated oocysts of different Eimeria species. Though, comparable with reference drug G. glabra showed comparable anticoccidial efficacy against following parameters. i.e., feed conversion ratio, lesion score, fecal score and oocyst score, serum profile and hematological values showed no adversative effects (P<0.05) than infected non-medicated (negative control) group of aqueous methanol extract of G. glabra on the trial broiler birds. So, in this study the biochemical and therapeutic property of G. glabra extract found dose dependent manner against coccidiosis in broiler chickens.