Exploration of Lua ethnomedicine and ethnoveterinary knowledge in convergence with water buffalo diet behavior in Nan Province of Thailand

Background How do animal feeding behaviors influence the development of local human and animal pharmacopeias? This question is explored through the study of herders' knowledge of medicinal plants and their care practices for domestic animals, informed by observations of animals. This study aims to highlight the shared medicinal knowledge between the Lua people and water buffalos in Northern Thailand through their overlapping use of natural resources. By examining the intersection of human ethnomedicine and animal self-medication, it investigates local human and veterinary practices, buffalo grazing behavior, and plant selection. Materials and methods 18 Lua herders were interviewed at Ban Huay Phan (Nan Province, Thailand). Interviews focused on the buffalo’ diet, health problems, plant items they consume in particular physiological or pathological contexts and the local ethnoveterinary treatments provided to them. For each plant mentioned, the part of the plant consumed and mode of preparation and administration if used by humans were recorded. Species samples were collected and later identified by specialists at the Bangkok Herbarium. Results 58 species were recorded as being consumed by buffalos and being part of animal diet throughout the year. Samples were collected during forest outings with herders both in the village and in grazing areas. According to interviewed herders, the consumption of certain plants improves the health of the animal even though they could not specifically address which one and/or for which affection. We consulted existing literature and found that most of the plants being part of buffalo’s diet have medicinal properties which demonstrate an innate ability of animals to use plants for self-medication and corroborated herder’s intuition. In addition, an ethnomedicinal survey of the Lua reveals that 20 out of the 58 specimens of the Buffalo Plant Database (BPD) are also used by the Lua as local medicine for similar purposes. Similarly all the plants uses by the Lua as ethnoveterinary preparation are part of the BPD. Conclusion Herders' use of specific plants aligns with their observations of buffalo behavior, suggesting that part of this knowledge circulated between them. In particular, our findings highlight that traditional human and veterinary medicine mutually enrich and respond to one another with similar use of certain plants. Animal behavior may be playing a crucial role in shaping practices in both domains, especially in a context of changing environmental settings. Further research on how humans and animals co-adapt and use plants could help with conservation, sustainable farming, and discovering new therapeutic practices.