Use of Medicinal Plants in Aquaculture
Résumé
Plants have been reported to produce various effects such as antistress, growth promotion, appetite stimulation, immunostimulation, aphrodisiac and to have antipathogen properties in fish and shrimp aquaculture due to their varied active principles such as alkaloids, terpenoids, tannins, saponins and flavonoids. To date, most scientific studies on the use of medicinal plants in aquaculture have focused on identification of biological activity rather than natural product determination. The plant species that have displayed the highest potential for use in aquaculture are garlic (Allium sativum), pomegranate (Punica granatum), bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), Indian ginseng (Whitania somnifera) and ginger (Zingiber officinale). Algae are considered to be a rich source of original bioactive molecules which display multiple bioactivities. In aquaculture, several recent studies have showed the potential of algae for the treatment of pathogens or to improve fish fitness.