Chinese biologists have used herbs to help dozens of milk cows in Shanghai to weather a summer heat wave and boost their milk production by 20 percent.

Aromatic herbs were added to the regular feed of 60 Holsteins at a Shanghai-based farm. "The special recipe, which included herbs such as mint, ageratum and fragrant thoroughwort, has proved effective and free from adverse side effects," said Hua Xiuguo, vice dean of agricultural and biological school of the Shanghai Jiaotong University who led the experiment.

The herbs boost the appetite and immunity to heat-related ailments of the cows, which previously suffered heatstroke and showed symptoms of anemia, high blood pressure and depression in scorching weather, according to Hua.

Hot weather-related illnesses dropped milk production by 100,000 tons every year in south China and Shanghai, costing 3.15 million U.S. dollars in lost output for Shanghai's farmers, said Zhang Kechun, director of the Shanghai Milk Cow Research Center.

"The new herb recipe is very promising," said Zhang at a meeting to evaluate Hua's herb experiment on Monday in Shanghai.

Hua's team has applied for a patent for the prescription and they will continue their experiments in other cities including Nanjing, capital of the neighboring province of Jiangsu.

"We will try to optimize the prescription and put it into large-scale production," said Hua.

Source: Xinhua