Shafia Tehseen Gul 1,4*, Rameen Raza1, Abdul Hannan2, Shazia Khaliq3, Naima Waheed1 and Ayodeji Aderibigbe4*
1Department of Pathology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan 2Department of Pharmacy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan 3Nuclear Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad-Pakistan 4College of Agriculture and Food Sciences (CAFS), Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA
*Corresponding author: drshafia66@yahoo.com (STG); ayodeji.aderibigbe@famu.edu (AA)
Urtica dioica (stinging nettle) has been in feed in the past in many countries, and mainly, its leaves were used as a food source for birds and animals to enhance productivity and accelerate their metabolism. It also enhances the carcass percentage of meat animals, particularly broilers. It can potentially be used as a soya bean replacer as it will lower the feed cost. Its leaves can boost the immune system, particularly enhancing the chicken’s ability to fight against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Its antioxidant capability prevents free radical generation, reducing the chances of free radicle injuries. In ruminants, its use as a feed additive can lead to an increase in milk production. In animals, any kind of stress during the raising stage deteriorates the meat quality, so this herb prevents the carcass meat from deteriorating and has a better percentage of crude protein, crude fiber, and metabolizable energy, which results in an economic perspective. Supplementation of Urtica dioica in feed can enhance carcass output and provide the potential to counteract bacterial and viral diseases.