Herbal flavored pressed cake products

Mr. Nguyen Van Lich's household in Phong Thu commune (Phong Dien) has been supported by Que Lam Group to raise organic pigs for the past 5 years with 8 sows and hundreds of pigs, with an annual output of 12 tons of live pigs, bringing stable economic efficiency to the family. Mr. Lich affirmed that raising organic pigs does not use chemicals, antibiotics and harmful substances, but completely applies biotechnology, aromatic pressed cakes to prevent diseases for livestock and treat the barn environment.

According to Mr. Lich, raising organic pigs without using bathing water or pouring water in the barn has saved costs compared to traditional farming. Due to the use of biological products in food and biological bedding, and fumigation of aromatic cakes, the barn has no bad smell, the air is clean, and the environment is not polluted. The farming process is almost free of disease, especially dangerous diseases such as African swine fever... Recently, Mr. Lich's family has also raised 10 organic cows, feeding them entirely on grass and straw, using spoiled fruits in the garden as food and using aromatic cakes to prevent disease in the cows.

Mr. Ton That Thanh - Que Lam Group said that in industrial scale livestock farming or farms, people often spray chemicals such as benkocid, haniodin, hantox... to kill microorganisms and insects, clean barns and in the air. These are chemicals that kill harmful and beneficial microorganisms, insects such as flies, mosquitoes... However, this method is harmful to human and animal health, harmful to the environment of soil, water, air and the risk of meat pollution due to the possibility of livestock and poultry coming into contact with chemicals.

Meanwhile, in the process of organic and biosafety farming, Que Lam Group has accompanied households to link organic farming chains across the country, including Thua Thien Hue . Farming according to the organic method is completely “without using chemicals, antibiotics, banned substances, or polluting waste…”. Farming must protect the environment but not harm people and livestock through the treatment of the barn microclimate.

In response to this request, the research team of Que Lam Group led by Mr. Ton That Thanh invented a "compressed cake" of herbs to fumigate and treat the microclimate of barns, which has been successfully and effectively applied in livestock farming and human life.

Mr. Ton That Thanh shared that, based on folk experiences, indigenous knowledge and research results of many scientists , herbs are often used in life, medicine and animal husbandry. For example, fumigating with soapberry every time people or animals give birth, repelling insects such as flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, treating bloating in buffaloes and cows, or using grass leaves to kill bacteria that cause diseases such as flu... and increase resistance naturally. By combining folk remedies with modern medicine, it is possible to research planting, extracting and processing aromatic pressed cakes from herbal plants with high essential oil content.

Studies have shown that plant essential oils (herbal) have great potential to replace antibiotics because of their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Herbal essential oils also increase digestion and immunity like a vaccine to improve health and reduce the invasion of pathogenic bacteria, eliminate bad odors, and eliminate toxic gases.

According to Mr. Thanh, current science has extracted essential oils from herbs such as cajeput oil, lemongrass oil, lavender oil... and applied them in practice; however, it has not yet synthesized all types of herbs with essential oils into a mixture to treat the microclimate in livestock and poultry barns or people's houses.

From that purpose and meaning, based on science and practical folk experience, local knowledge, Mr. Thanh's research group has had suitable initiatives in organic production and breeding. The group has grown and processed natural herbs such as cajuput (five-veined), vetiver, lemongrass, soapberry, reed, andrographis paniculata, orange and grapefruit peels... After harvesting, these herbs are dried to a humidity of less than 12%, then crushed and pressed into cakes (herbal compressed cakes) and packaged to avoid moisture, and used to fumigate livestock.

Another innovative research is to create an incinerator to release smoke from herbal compressed cakes when burned for fumigation in barns. Each time burned, the aromatic pressed cakes release gas for about 4 hours, emitting smoke and oil scent for a longer time. Based on the above success, the research team is continuing to research the application of incinerators for fumigation for humans.

According to the evaluation of livestock households, this product is easy to use, easy to transport, easy to preserve, does not harm the environment, prevents and fights diseases and protects the health of animals and humans. The smoke-generating aromatic cake will kill and repel harmful insects such as cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, rats, etc., which are intermediate animals that transmit dangerous diseases to livestock. When smoking, it also warms the barns of livestock and poultry in the cold rainy season.

Article and photos: Hoang Trieu