Zataria multiflora, broiler health and performance: a review

Zataria multiflora Boiss. (ZM) from Lamiaceae family, is an herb native to Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan with a history of use both as a condiment and a traditional medicine. The herb and/or its preparations have also shown promising effects in modern pharmacological studies. With regard to the importance of reducing synthetic drug administration both as growth promoters and therapeutic agents in poultry industry, this review is a short account of current knowledge about the beneficial effects of this herb on broiler health and performance parameters based on published materials in different databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scientific Information Database, Scopus, etc. It seems that ZM, possibly due to the presence of thymol and carvacrol as its main constituents, can affect broiler’s health especially with regard to its antioxidant effects, immunomodulatory properties and proper effects on gut bacterial pathogens and/or microbiota. It should be kept in mind that although major constituents of ZM essential oil (as the most studied preparation of the herb) are relatively similar, their relative content may show a broad range that can subsequently affect the outcome of ZM essential oil administration to broilers. Overall, ZM is a pluripotent herb and its effect on broilers should be more clarified in future studies.