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Herbs |
Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre |
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Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre Holistic Vet - Homeopathic Vet - Acupuncture Vet - Herbal Vet - Natural Vet Herbal Medicine for AnimalsVeterinary Herbal Medicine - Veterinary HerbalismPhytotherapy - Herbs for Animalsherb vet, herbal vet, herbal veterinary medicine
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| Horse Herbs | Dog Herbs | Cat Herbs |
Herbs have been medicine and food for animals, since animal life emerged. Nature has always had its own medicines. Animals therefore have an inherent instinct for herbal medication of their health problems (zoopharmacognosy*), whether horses, dogs, cats, cattle, rabbits or other species. Human peoples also had this natural instinct for their own medicine and ancient civilisations used herbs for animals too, but modern ‘civilisation’ and ‘education’ have seriously lessened our natural instinctive ability and capability.
Having said that, and despite the fact that the modern Western medical establishment appears to like to relegate herbalism to the status of 'folklore' or 'old wives' tales', herbs or derivatives from herbs form the basis of much of the modern conventional medical armoury. Unsurprisingly, while very willing to exploit the clear therapeutic benefits of herbs, the pharmaceutical industry does not readily advertise these ‘humble’ origins!
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Medicinal herbs contain a vast spread of pharmacologically-active ingredients and each herb has its own unique combination and properties. They are classified in modern herbal medicine according to their spheres of action. Many herbs contain ingredients which provide the whole plant with several such actions, combined in the one medicine. Recognised actions include alterative, anodyne, anthelmintic, anti-catarrhal, anti-emetic, anti-inflammatory, antilithic, antibacterial, antifungal, antispasmodic, aperient/laxative, aromatic, astringent, bitter, cardiac, carminative, cathartic/purgative, cholagogue and anticholagogue, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, ecbolic, emetic, emollient, expectorant, febrifuge, galactagogue, hepatic, hypnotic, nervine, rubefacient, sedative, sialogogue, soporific, stimulant, styptic, tonic, vesicant and vulnerary.
Alternatively, herbal medicines may be classified according to the category of constituents in their composition. Constituents include acids, alcohols, alkaloids, anthraquinones, bitters, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, coumarins, flavones, flavonoid glycosides, phenols, saponins, tannins and volatile oils.
Tobacco - Tennessee
Herbal medicines are traditionally selected by a herbal vet according to the perceived needs of the patient and based upon the constituents of the individual herbs in relation to the above mentioned actions. Whether single herbs are used, or a combination of herbs is selected, depends upon the spread of activity of each herb and whether or not it supplies the necessary spectrum of action in the body.
It is of fundamental importance in herbal medicine that plants are identified correctly. They should be harvested from unpolluted areas, where possible and should, if cultured, be grown without the use of modern agro-chemicals. It is also arguable that, where possible, indigenous species should be used because they may prove more suited to the patient’s constitution than exotic herbs.
Borage - Borago officinalis
Herbs can be used for dogs, cats, horses, ponies and many other animal species. Equines (whether horse, pony or donkey) respond particularly well. This has led to a recent explosion of commercial exploitation. More and more attractively packaged herbal products are appearing on the shelves of horse feed outlets, pet outlets and on the internet. However, there are few experienced herbal vets* in the UK, so safe and effective coordination in a holistic manner is not common. It is important to remember that herbs and conventional medicines can clash dangerously or can summate with a risk of serious overdose. Off-the-shelf herbal medicines can therefore be dangerous if there is no skilled professional herbal vet overseeing the entire input given to the patient. It is not uncommon to find mainstream vets disregarding concurrent herbal input, with obvious dangers to your animal.
*Herbal vets don't grow on trees but some important herbal medicines do! Take salicylic acid, for instance, harvested from willow bark to give us aspirin. At the AVMC, however, we would give willow bark or meadow sweet (another plant that is rich in salicylate), in the raw state, in preference to the manufactured chemical extract. N.B.: These herbs should not be given in conjunction with conventional NSAIDs and vice versa.
Traditional herbal medicine, whether Ayurvedic medicine, Indian herbs, Chinese herbs (Traditional Chinese Medicine - TCM), Western herbs, African herbs, Native North American herbal lore or other indigenous practice, is a holistic therapy and relies upon the whole plant, or defined portions of it. It does not presume to identify a single pharmacologically-active ingredient for isolated use.
Modern herbal medicine is drifting towards pharmacognosy, the science of defining specific supposed ‘active’ ingredients, then extracting and purifying them and using them in isolation. This is not holistic medicine and it carries inherent dangers, which do not attach to using whole plants. Ingredients of the whole plant tend to act in synergy and to balance each other in nature, whereas man disturbs this holistic balance with his ‘interference’. This is also happening in the veterinary field and is a far cry from herbal medicine's holistic roots. Many products are now being marketed in this way, especially herbs for horses and herbs for dogs. Some nutraceutical products are formulated with this rationale. Caveat emptor.
It is then but a small step to altering molecules, patenting them and making millions of pounds/dollars from a marketed drug, with even greater potential for side-effects (this is the essence of modern conventional drug medicine, which has clearly evolved from herbal medicine in this way). This is reductionism at work, as opposed to holistic principles, with the lure of massive profits potentially blurring science and safety.
Image: Early morning sun bathes our herb garden
Herbal
medicine includes such amazingly effective agents as willow bark
(providing salicylate, which is an Aspirin-like and very effective pain
killer, at much lower doses than one might expect, when compared to
Aspirin itself), Digitalis or foxglove (a remarkably effective heart
drug, having action on all aspects of cardiac function), dandelion (an
effective diuretic also providing copious potassium, which modern diuretics
tend to drain from the body! - French name pis en lit) and
periwinkle or Vinca (a predecessor of the potent cancer drug
Vincristine).
In horses and ponies particularly, since they are classical herbivores, herbs provide a useful source of minerals and vitamins, in my opinion better than artificial sources. In this situation, we may describe herbs for horses as food, playing an important part in the nutrition of the animal. The boundary between food and medicine was never so blurred as in herbal lore. Hippocrates is credited with saying “let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food”. The distinction is not clear and there is no reason for it to be clear. We are, after all, thinking holistically. It is true to say, however, that herbs fall into various categories, some much more food-like than others and some much more medicine-like than others. It is the context, the motivation and the dosage which govern the rôle of the herb.
Yarrow
- Achillea millefolium - wounds, sinusitis, haemorrhage etc.
Herbal vet usage: conditions often treated with herbs, in dogs, cats, horses and other animals, sometimes in conjunction with other therapies, include: COPD, laminitis, digestive disturbance, diarrhoea, nervousness, arthritis, liver problems (hepatopathy), sinusitis, chronic cough, skin problems, respiratory problems, heart problems, hoof quality (hoof health) and kidney problems. At the AVMC, we also formulate herb mixes to accompany grass pastures or for winter time, to ensure availability of essential nutrients. Modern grassland management, whether supplying grazing or conserved forage (hay, haylage, grass nuts, dried grass), is not conducive to optimum horse health and well-being and supplying a variety of nutritious herbs can compensate for this to an extent.
Species treated by the AVMC include: horses, ponies, goats, donkeys, mules, cats, dogs, cattle, pigs, sheep, llamas, alpacas, buffalo, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, lizards, terrapins, tortoises, snakes, raptors, poultry (domestic fowl), cage birds, budgies, canaries, budgerigars, parrots, parakeets, macaws, birds of prey (raptors).
The AVMC accepts referrals in Veterinary Acupuncture, Veterinary Homeopathy, Veterinary Herbal Medicine, back problems in dogs, back problems in horses, back problems in cats, back problems in all species.
There is a logic in the notion that herbs indigenous to the patient's country should be used in preference to 'exotic' herbs, although Chinese and Ayurvedic herbs have become fashionable in the UK, at present. There follow some simplified examples of Western herbs, classified according to pharmacological activity:
We also use some herbal preparations as food supplements, mainly for their nutritive benefits: e.g. various species of seaweed (e.g. kelp, wrack, bladderwrack, algae, chlorella), garlic and brewers yeast. We avoid brand wars and favouring one brand over another but we advise using a manufacturing source with a deep tradition and with licensed products, rather than some company with no experience that has seen the marketing opportunity and leapt in with attractive packaging and seductive advertising and labelling.
In case it is helpful to clients, we do formulate off-the-shelf herbal mixtures, for general nutritional support, for arthritis, for laminitis, for respiratory problems, for hoof health and for other problems. Enquire at the office, if interested: 01367 710324. This is a service for the benefit of current clients and patients.
Since finite doses of pharmacologically-active agents are being given in herbal medicine, it is very possible that dosing with many of the available herbal medicines would cause a horse or dog to fail competition ‘dope’ tests. There is also a definite risk of residues in food animal products, such as meat, milk or eggs. It is possible, furthermore, that herbs can 'summate', potentially dangerously, with conventional drugs given for similar purposes. There is also a risk of a clash with intercurrent conventional medication.
Many unlicensed herbal ‘products’ exist on the market, advertised with great vigour and containing quasi-legal, unsupported, medical claims, whether in the literature, on the label or in the name. The AVMC advises to avoid these. They are neither tailored to your animal nor integrated with the patient's other medication or food. No effort is made to ensure that they are used safely alongside any other medication, which is potentially very dangerous. They are sold more for profit than for medicine. No effort has been spent on supplying proof of efficacy, safety and quality (as required for a product licence), despite the claims or implied claims of efficacy and many of the companies have no proper herbal tradition. Caveat emptor - buyer beware!
To illustrate the scope of herbal medicine, we have prepared several pages for the major species:
Herbs for Horses, Ponies, Donkeys & Mules: Horses Herbal Medicine - Ponies Herbal Medicine
Herbs for Dogs: Dogs Herbal Medicine
Herbs for Cats: Cats Herbal Medicine
Aromatherapy (the use of so-called essential oils) is a branch of herbal medicine. However, it is mainly distillates that are used, so the indications and usages vary. While homeopathy uses herbs in the preparation of some of its medicines, it should not be confused with herbal medicine. The rationale of use and the indications are very different in many cases.
Christopher Day, herbal vet (veterinary herbalist) and holistic vet, has used herbs in veterinary medicine since 1972 and is willing to share experiences, understanding and ideas. He is also willing to provide lectures and talks on the work of a herbal vet.
Integrated Veterinary Medicine
Herbal medicine can be integrated
satisfactorily with Acupuncture. It can also be integrated with Homeopathy, with
care and caution. When combining Herbal Medicine with conventional drug medicine
or Aromatherapy, beware potential dangerous summations and counter effects (Integrated
Medicine). A herb vet should be aware of these. Sadly, conventional vets are
usually unaware and don't consider the possibility.
Although we specialise in alternative therapies, seeking alternatives to conventional drug therapy, we do not shun conventional therapy, per se, considering its worth in each case. No truly holistic vet or herb vet can ignore the existence of conventional drugs which, while quite unable to cure chronic disease, on rare occasions may be the only way to control distressing or painful symptoms. It is noteworthy how much the body can achieve without drugs, however. Our holistic and integrated service is offered in support of animal patients, owners and carers and the veterinary profession. We are always willing to assist vets in the UK and worldwide in providing integrated care for their patients, providing the natural therapy component of a treatment programme.
Ecological note
There are plants which are being harvested from the wild, around the world, in unsustainable quantities. The unhealthy lifestyle of the developed industrial nations has a massive appetite for potential panaceas. It is important to try not to use threatened species and to use plants from sustainable regeneration programmes, where possible. http://www.bgci.org/ourwork/medplants/
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 restricts the treatment of animals (other than your own) with herbal medicine, by anyone other than a fully qualified vet.
Care and Administration of Herbal Medicines
See also: Birds, Cage Mammals, Reptiles, Wild Animals
Poisonous & Unfriendly Plants (.pdf)
Beneficial Plants in Pasture (.pdf)
| Horse Herbal Medicine | Dog Herbal Medicine | Cat Herbal Medicine |
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Added August 2009: It is a source of great disappointment to us at the AVMC, that a minority of professional veterinary colleagues act in an unprofessional and discourteous way when clients try to discuss the possibility of referral for alternative medicine. Whatever their opinions of alternative medicine, usually formed without first-hand experience of the subject, vets are supposed to assist clients with referrals, not obstruct them or give a rude reaction. As most clients who request referrals have already come to the end of the conventional options, it is difficult to see what gives rise to the objection. Pride and financial considerations should not enter into the equation, so we assume these are not the reason (see Prejudice). The fact that there may be a way of helping a distressed and chronically ill patient should be a source of pleasure and interest for the caring veterinary surgeon. |
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Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre
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Associated websites: http://chris-day.blogware.com/ - www.acupuncture-animals.co.uk - www.holistic-vet.co.uk - www.homeopathic-vet.com - www.veterinary-acupuncture.co.uk - www.veterinary-homeopathy.co.uk - www.veterinary-herbal.co.uk - www.veterinary-holistic.co.uk - www.alternativeveterinarymedicine.co.uk - www.alternativeveterinarymedicinecentre.co.uk - www.avmc.co.uk - www.naturalfeeding.co.uk - www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~avmc - www.chinhampublications.co.uk - www.equineacupuncturevet.co.uk - www.christopherday.co.uk - www.holisticvetmed.co.uk.
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