Useful Winter Herbs for Horses

By Jackie Rive at www.brookbyherbs.co.nz
Helping horses and dogs live healthier and happier lives, naturally.

With winter fast approaching, it's time to start thinking about keeping your horses and dogs in tip top health over the colder months. Below you will find a few of the better known herbs for fighting winter ills.

Echinacea:

Fights infections, reduces symptoms of colds and flu, stimulates the immune system and heals minor wounds and burns. "The herb normalises the number of white blood cells in the blood and helps them surround and destroy bacteria and viruses," says Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., director of the American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, and author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine. It also slows the spread of infection to surrounding tissues and helps flush toxins away from infected areas, he says.

Echinacea is generally considered safe, says Dr. Tyler, although an allergic reaction is always a possibility. Discontinue use if you experience any adverse effects.

Garlic:

Garlic was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, chewed by Greek Olympian athletes and thought to be essential for keeping vampires at bay! But it is also good for zapping bacteria, keeping your heart healthy, warding off coughs and colds. Garlic is an antibiotic that can actually kill infecting bacteria and at the same time protect the body from the poisons that are causing the infection. It is known that the most sensitive bacterium to garlic is the deadly Bacillus anthracis which produces the poison anthrax. Even the forefather of antibiotic medicine Louis Pasteur acknowledged garlic to be as effective as penicillin and late studies showed similar activity to a more modern antibiotic, chloramphenicol. Even the blood of garlic eaters can kill bacteria and it is also reported that the vapor from freshly cut garlic can kill bacteria at a distance of 20 cms!

Rosehips:

Rosehips are a rich source of vitamin C as well as vitamin A, thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin K. Rosehips make an excellent spring tonic and are very useful for general debility and illness. Used with other herbs Rosehips will help horses return to health after illness. The high vitamin C content will help to fight infection and build up the body's defences. They also contain biotin and flavanoids for optimum hoof health. Rosehips play a major role in kidney rehabilitation and adrenal function and can be used to prevent Azoturia or "tying up". Rosehips can be made into a tea by mixing 2 dessertspoons of granules into 1 litre of boiling water and this is left to steep until cool. This tea can then be split in half and used to dampen down the morning and evening feeds. The dosage for a horse in work is one litre per day, fed grounds and all.

Fenugreek:

Soothes sore throat pain and coughs. From ancient times through the late 19th century, fenugreek played a major role in herbal healing. Then it fell by the wayside. Now things are once again looking up for the herb whose taste is an odd combination of bitter celery and maple syrup. Modern scientific research has found that fenugreek can help reduce cholesterol levels, control diabetes and minimise the symptoms of menopause. The ancient Greeks fed this herb to horses and cattle. The Romans then started using it, too, calling it "Greek hay." (In Latin, "Greek hay" is foenum-graecum, and that evolved into "fenugreek.") As fenugreek spread around the ancient Mediterranean, physicians learned that its seeds, like many seeds, contain a gummy substance called mucilage. Mixed with water, mucilage expands and becomes a gelatinous soother for irritated tissues.

Brookby Herbs have many herbs available to help your animals through the winter season. For horses we offer Echinacea Organic Plus, a natural antibiotic that also boosts the immune system and Breathe Free, a natural expectorant for treating respiratory problems such as viral coughs and colds. It will help to soothe away any irritations and unblock the airways.

Nature's Immune Booster for dogs is a certified organic blend of herbs which enhances your dog's general well-being and protects against common dog health problems like kennel cough symptoms.

Visit www.brookbyherbs.co.nz for a full range of natural organic herbal health blends for animals

How to Treat Stringhalt

By Jackie Rive at www.brookbyherbs.co.nz 
Helping horses and dogs live healthier and happier lives, naturally.

It saddens me to hear that so many horse owners are having to deal with that horrible and deeply frustrating condition, stringhalt, at the moment.

For those that have been lucky enough to avoid it so far, the clinical signs of stringhalt basically involve an exaggerated lifting of each hind leg as the horse moves forwards and backwards. In very severe cases, the horse will go to walk off and get one leg stuck up under it's belly, as though the leg was glued there. In such cases, horses can often only move with a bunny hopping motion where they have both back legs up in the air at once and paddle along on their front legs.

In mild cases, exaggerated lifting of the leg is only obvious under special circumstances, such as when the horse goes backwards, is upset, turns sharply sideways, or in cold weather.

Mild cases are often first noticed when a horse is backed off a float, and in severe cases the horse cannot go backwards at all. The severity of the signs in a horse can be quite varied and are made worse by cold, excitement and alterations to daily routine.

This high stepping gait is accompanied by wastage of muscles in the hind limbs. Affected horses will have muscle wastage in the gaskin area just above the hock and between the shoulders, and these are occasionally accompanied by changes in the forelimb gait.

Treatment:

Fortunately, the horses do eventuall recover. We recommend the Herbal Calmer blend which contains valerian, vervain and dandelion to help restore the nervous system.

Here are some words from herbalist Robert Mcdowell in Australia and his point of view on it.

'Stringhalt is probably the most frustrating condition I have been faced with in my practice over the years.

Various weeds like Dandelion in NSW, and Fireweed in Victoria, are blamed, but I am certain there is some fungus which inhabits these plants at times and it is the fungus which can damage the central nervous system of susceptible horses.

My treatment revolves around the herbs which physically rehabilitate damage to the central nervous system and the brain itself.

The mix includes Comfrey, Dandelion, Magnesium Phosphate, Mugwort, Pine Bark, Sage, Saw Palmetto and Valerian along with the Bach Flowers Heather, Vine, Elm, Vervain and Rescue Remedy.

This course is given over a 12 week period and a single dose each day of yoghurt (acidophilus) about a couple of dessertspoons is given as well. Along with the recommendation that no Lucerne products should be fed during this time.

The aim of the treatment is to clear any fungal residue and speed the recovery, which often occurs anyway over time.

The treatment is also formulated to help rebuild any muscle wastage resulting from the condition and to reduce sensitivity so that the animal will be much less likely to come down again with Stringhalt.'

Visit www.brookbyherbs.co.nz for a full range of natural organic herbal health blends for animals.

Coughs & Colds Are Doing The Rounds: How To Combat Them With Herbs

By Jackie Rive at www.brookbyherbs.co.nz 
Helping horses and dogs live healthier and happier lives, naturally.

I've heard a lot horse owners complaining about the coughs and colds that seem to be doing the rounds at the moment (not just the horses either, the owners seem to be suffering as well!) So I have pulled together a brief outline explaining which natural herbs can be used effectively to help combat colds and viruses. I hope you find it of some use in battling those nasties!

Four different categories of herbs are utilised to help combat the common cold.

First, herbs that stimulate the immune system to fight the infection are used during and possibly to prevent colds. Echinacea and Asian ginseng are two examples in this category.

Second, herbs that promote a mild fever, hence sweating (known as diaphoretics) may be useful. Because a fever is a sign of the immune system working, it may be that diaphoretics are also immune stimulators like the first category. Elder, boneset and yarrow are three examples.

The third category includes herbs that may directly kill the viruses that cause colds, based on test tube studies. Goldenseal, myrrh and usnea are examples.

Finally, some herbs are used just to alleviate symptoms such as sore throats. These herbs tend to be high in mucilage and are soothing and anti-inflammatory or have tannins that are astringent. Marshmallow and red raspberry are two examples. Symptom-relieving herbs may have other active constituents and mechanisms of actions. As you can see in the following list, many herbs fit in more than one category, such as goldenseal (immune stimulating and antiviral).

Immune-stimulating:

Asian ginseng, astragalus, boneset, echinacea, eleuthero, goldenseal, hyssop, linden, schisandra, wild indigo.

Diaphoretic:

Boneset, elder flower, hyssop, linden, yarrow.

Symptom-relieving Astringent (soothe sore throat):

Blackberry, blueberry, red raspberry.

Mucilage (soothe sore throat):

Marshmallow, mullein.

Reduce nasal stuffiness:

Eucalyptus, peppermint.

Relieve aches and pains:

Meadowsweet.

Miscellaneous sore throat relief:

Sage, yarrow.

Brookby Herbs have developed natural herbal products to help your animals combat colds and viruses. For horses we offer Echinacea Organic Plus, a natural antibiotic that also boosts the immune system and Breathe Free, a natural expectorant for treating respiratory problems such as viral coughs and colds. It will help to soothe away any irritations and unblock the airways.

Organic Immune Booster for dogs is a certified organic blend of herbs which enhances your dog's general well-being and protects against common dog health problems like kennel cough symptoms.

Visit www.brookbyherbs.co.nz for a full range of natural organic herbal health blends for animals.