Maral is taken by wild animals as a forage plant. Correspondent to this observation highlanders have been using this plant in the popular medicine and as animal food since a long time. Several interesting effects of the main ingredients of this plant can be derived from publications. For example the 20-hydroxyecdysone is declared as substance with adaptogenic effect. Such plants help the organism especially to adapt to situations of stress. The following demands are made to adaptogenic substances:
- harmlessness for organism
- no danger of originating dependence
- only little influence on physiological functions
- improvement of resistance on a broad and unspecific basis
- normalizing effect, independent of the sort of preceding pathological disorder
The range of farrowing of the piglets from the sow causes stress for the young animals in different ways. Reactions can be diarrhea, fights concerning social ranking or cannibalism (tail biting, ear biting).
For a first clarification of a possible utilization in the feeding of pigs feeding trials are carried out at the IBL Wels. In two transits 80 piglets in each case are divided into two groups and are fed with a conventional feed. In the test group 1% grain is changed against 1% dry leaves from Rhaponticum carthamoides. By means of the biological data of performance (increase, feed conversion) of the piglets, which are investigated for a period of 3 weeks, first conductions on the range of utilization can be made.
