Medicinal plants or plant derived compounds used in aquaculture

Disease outbreaks have resulted in significant losses in aquaculture. Antibiotics, although typically effective in treating fish diseases, can accumulate in the environment as antibiotic residues or in fish tissues over time, leading to the growth of antibiotic-resistant strains. Vaccines are often too costly and time-consuming for widespread use in fish farms, and each vaccine is effective only against one form of pathogen. For thousands of years, medicinal plants have been used as immunostimulants. Aquaculture may benefit from the use of medicinal plants as natural and safe compounds as an alternative to antibiotics and immunoprophylactics. Since they are simple to prepare, inexpensive, and have few undesirable effects on animals and the climate, there has been a surge in interest in these plants around the world. Herbs, seaweeds, herbal extract compounds, spices, commercial plant-derived products, and traditional herbs are all sources of medicinal plants. Active compounds such as alkaloid, terpenoid, pigments, polyphenol, quinone, lectin, tannins, essential oils, and polypeptide compounds have been shown to have antimicrobial properties, the ability to promote growth and strengthen the immune system, as well as stimulate appetite and possess antistress properties in fish, and others are effective alternatives to antibiotics, chemicals, and vaccines. They are often used as a source of nutrition for fish.