“Substances contained in milk thistle seeds have a potential effect on mitigating or preventing the negative effects of physical activity on the body, they can also positively affect energy metabolism during the physical activity of sport horses,” said Hana Dočkalová from the Faculty of AgriSciences at Mendel University in Brno.
Scientists have not yet studied the relationship between milk thistle and physical activity in sport horses in detail. If they show a positive effect of one of the most frequently grown herbs on the equine organism, this opens the way to the application of a similar procedure to other animals or humans. The advantage of this method of treatment is the low incidence of health problems and reduced performance.
Extracts of milk thistle seeds are used in the treatment of toxic-metabolic liver damage and chronic diseases of this organ. The most important ingredients are comprehensively known as silymarin. Its correct dosing for horses is now being tested by scientists. “As part of an objective assessment of the results, this year we are using a fitness watch system with GPS and chest straps for the first time, which allows us to monitor the heart rate of horses,” said Dočkalová.
Milk thistle is currently used in pharmacology, as a dietary supplement in animals, especially to increase daily weight gain or in veterinary medicine. This herb is the second most frequently grown in the Czech Republic after cumin on an area of about 2,000 hectares. Thanks to scientists from MENDELU, it will now probably be used for other uses.
The three-year scientific project is funded by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic and will end in 2022. The outputs of the project will be based on experimental administration of milk thistle expellers in feed mixture in correlation with blood biochemical parameters depending on the physical load of horses.
Contact for more information: Ing. Hana Dočkalová, Department of Animal Nutrition and Forage Production FA, phone.: +420 773 996 710, e-mail: hana.dockalova@mendelu.cz
More news
-
Project SPOT which is coordinated by Milada Šťastná and also led on behalf of the Faculty of AgriSciences at MENDELU has beed selected for the European Research Executive Agency article dedicated to the 20 years of EU enlargement.3. 5. 2024
-
In the MENDELU Ph.D. talent competition, five students succeeded
The third edition of the MENDELU Ph.D. Talent competition for supplementary talent scholarships for doctoral students has announced its winners. Ten talented students advanced to the second round of the MENDELU Ph.D. Talent competition, where they…2. 4. 2024 -
This year’s Water days at MENDELU were devoted to the revitalization of…
On the occasion of World Water Day, a weekly Water Days event was held at MENDELU, which serves to educate on the topis of water in forest, agricultural and urban landscapes. This international event is organized by the PoVE center of excellence in…22. 3. 2024 -
First joint conference of the Alpine and the Carpathian Conventions on large…
A transboundary character of wildlife populations, such as large carnivores, require enhanced international collaboration for successful conservation and management solutions. As large carnivore populations are recovering in Europe, this is even…8. 3. 2024 -
MENDELU experts focus on digital water
The team of experts from Mendel University in Brno is developing new methods within the framework of the European project WATERLINE under HORIZONT WIDERA call, focused on digital water. This action will bring the processes related to water in the…29. 2. 2024 -
MENDELU focuses on prevention as part of safety
Mendel University in Brno is implementing a number of security measures in connection with the December event at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University. It wants to focus primarily on prevention, i.e. on informing employees and students how to…16. 2. 2024 -
Water management problems were solved by student teams from all over the country
A total of eighty high school and university students gathered at the Impact Hub for the "Water for the Future" Hackathon. Its aim was to increase interest in water management and to expand and share key knowledge with the younger generation. Teams…30. 1. 2024 -
Unique method to show how micro and nanoplastics are deposited in agriculture
Micro and nanoplastics have increasingly come into the sights of world leaders in recent years. According to UN data, there are over 50 trillion microplastic particles in the seas alone, 500 times more than the number of stars in our galaxy. While…9. 1. 2024 -
Student MENDELU won the international ArcGIS StoryMaps competition
The StoryMap "Wind Erosion," authored by Petr Zálešák a first-year Ph.D. student in the Applied and Landscape Ecology program at Mendel University in Brno, has captivated and emerged victorious in the international ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition 2023,…12. 12. 2023 -
Czech scientists create energy from mango pellets in Cambodia
Experts from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology at MENDELU are helping to make use of waste from fruit processing while reducing the consumption of firewood in Cambodia. They use the mango pellets to produce fuel briquettes, which are then…15. 11. 2023