Use of medicinal plants in the control of fish parasites and problems related to their use in ethnoveterinary treatment-A review

Recently, botanical extracts from temperate and tropical medicinal plants have been shown to manage terrestrial flora diseases and repel aquatic parasites and pathogens. The complex bioactivities of these compounds include alkaloids, flavoids, saponins, tannins, essential oils, and terpenoids. The antimicrobial functions of these phytochemicals depend on the specific environmental conditions at their secretion sites, with longer-lasting compounds to affect infestation cycles at various stages. Other agents can suppress ongoing infections using alternative methods. Examining the effects of phytosociograms in wet environments could yield new antimicrobial solutions with minimal adverse effects compared with synthetic while expanding our knowledge of the capabilities of traditional healers. Some chemicals can eliminate fish parasites, but they only bring benefits if they wipe out all wild fish populations and give rise to aquaculture. In some countries, parasite infestations and fish diseases limit aquaculture production growth. Utilizing herbs with healing properties for fish diseases and parasites is an eco-friendly, cost-efficient, and sustainable aquaculture strategy. The infection rates of fish can be reduced by treating them with certain plant extracts. These species are generally resistant to water-borne chemical pollutants. Despite their rarity, herbal plants and their products significantly aid in combating fish parasites. This review aims to highlight fish health management in aquaculture by emphasizing the traditional medicinal uses of plants to combat fish parasites.