Research Progress in the Application of Chinese Herbal Medicines in Aquaculture： A Review

• Published in: Engineering (Beijing, China) Vol. 3; no. 5; pp. 731 - 737
• Main Authors: Pu, Hongyu, Li, Xiaoyu, Du, Qingbo, Cui, Hao, Xu, Yongping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2017; Ministry of Education Center for Food Safety of Animal Origin, Dalian 116620, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China%School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; Liaoning Food Safety of Animal Origin Innovation Team, Dalian 116024, China%College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aquaculture; Chinese herbal medicines; Fish farming; Research progress; Fish farming; Research progress; Chinese herbal medicines; Aquaculture
• ISSN: 2095-8099
• DOI: 10.1016/J.ENG.2017.03.017

Due to increasing safety concerns regarding human consumption of fish products, an increasing number of medicinal chemicals are prohibited from use in aquaculture. As a result, Chinese herbal medicines are being increasingly used, coining the use of the term ＂green medicine.＂ Research shows that Chinese herbal medicines have many beneficial effects on fish, including growth promotion, enhancement of disease resistance, and improvement in meat quality. Many effective ingredients have been discovered in Chinese herbal medicines, which function to promote feed intake, improve meat flavor, and increase digestive enzyme activity. They also regulate and participate in processes that improve the specific and non-specific immunity of fish; however, the composition of Chinese herbal medicines is very complex and it is often difficult to identify the effective ingredients. This article reviews the latest research and application progress in Chinese herbal medicines regarding growth and feed utilization, immunity and disease resistance, and the meat quality of cultured fish. It also discusses research on the chemical constituents of classical Chinese medicinal herbs and problems with the application of Chinese herbal medicines in fish culture. This article concludes by proposing that future studies on Chinese herbal medicines should focus on how to cheaply refine and extract the effective ingredients in classical Chinese medicinal herbs, as well as how to use them efficiently in aquaculture.