Supplementation effect of Plantago major: on milk yield, digestive efficiency, and systemic health in Holstein Friesian cows

Background Functional forages like Plantago major have shown promise in enhancing nutrient utilization and systemic health in the dairy cattle. However, limited data exist on their effects under controlled supplementation trials. Objective This study explores the combined effects of graded dietary supplementation with Plantago major (common plantain) on lactational performance, nutrient digestibility, and systemic health in mid-lactation Holstein Friesian cows under intensive Pakistani dairy farm conditions. Introduction : Despite Pakistan’s position as the fourth-largest global milk producer—yielding 72.4 million tons in 2025—average per-cow output remains suboptimal due to fragmented infrastructure, low forage diversity, and conventional feeding strategies use. Plantago major, is a resilient forage species rich in flavonoids (baicalein, luteolin), iridoid glycosides (aucubin), phenolic acids, polysaccharides, and fermentable fibers. Methods Evaluation was established at four inclusion levels (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% of dietary dry matter) in a 30-day randomized complete block design (n = 3 cows per treatment). All diets were formulated to meet NRC (2001) requirements, and a 10-day adaptation period preceded a 7-day data collection phase. Major endpoints included dry matter intake (DMI), nutrient digestibility coefficients (DMD, CPD, NDFD, ADFD), milk yield and composition (fat, protein, lactose, total solids), and hemato-biochemical indices (urea, creatinine, total protein, albumin, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, ALT, AST, hemoglobin, packed cell volume). Results Demonstrated a dose-dependent enhancement in feed intake and digestibility. Cows receiving 15% Plantago major exhibited the highest DMI (28.43 kg/day), crude protein intake (5.04 kg/day), and fiber intake (NDFI: 9.11 kg/day; ADFI: 3.42 kg/day). Corresponding digestibility improvements included dry matter digestibility (P-15: 71.24% vs. P-0: 66.87%), crude protein digestibility (82.11% vs. 78.21%), neutral detergent fiber digestibility (73.42% vs. 68.48%), and acid detergent fiber digestibility (85.64% vs. 80.27%). The P-15 group achieved the highest mean daily yield (17.65 kg/cow), representing a 20.8% gain over controls (14.60 kg). Milk protein (3.49%), lactose (5.52%), and total solids (12.88%) also peaked in this group, whereas milk fat percentage declined marginally (P-15: 3.37% vs. P-0: 4.05%). Serum total protein and albumin increased by 6.8% and 13.3% respectively in P-15 cows, while blood urea and creatinine concentrations decreased by 11.0% and 37.4%, suggesting enhanced nitrogen utilization efficiency and renal integrity. Hepatic enzyme activities declined (ALT: − 9.6%; AST: − 4.8%). Additionally, total cholesterol fell by 5.1%, and hemoglobin rose by 34.7%, demonstrating hypolipidemic and hematopoietic advantages. Conclusion Collectively, these findings confirm that 15% Plantago major acts as a functional forage, improving feed conversion efficiency, lactational outputs, and systemic metabolic resilience in high-yielding dairy cows.