| Healing With Herbs
If your dog or cat is ill, the conventional treatment is to administer some type of medication to provide immediate relief of symptoms. With holistic healing, the focus is to re-establish balance, with the aim to support your pet’s natural healing processes, and not just go after the symptoms.
Most of our modern medicine has originated from plants. Aboriginal peoples relied exclusively on plants as a source of healing. For centuries, physicians used herbs for healing and it is only in comparatively recent times that modern drugs have replaced the use of herbs.
Now, as the side effects of some drugs become apparent, there is a growing movement toward the use of remedies concocted from fresh herbs, many of which we can find growing wild in our backyards and gardens.
Herbs as alternatives to conventional medication
Herbs are safe, gentle medicines with a much greater margin of error and fewer side effects than any conventional medicines.
The conventional medical community claims that herbal medicines are less effective because of low amounts of active ingredients. Yet herbs are actually safer because the ingredients of the plant work together – this makes the whole plant more effective than just its individual components.
An example is that of white willow. White willow contains the same active ingredient found in aspirin. In taking this herb, dogs seldom develop side effects of vomiting or diarrhea—yet aspirin will commonly cause this.
Points to keep in mind
If you are trying to directly compare herbs and conventional drugs, keep a few points in mind. You’ll find that in general, herbs are slower acting than most drugs, and for specific conditions, don’t expect the herb to be more effective than a related drug.
Additional points:
• Herbs are best used to nourish the body, and support and strengthen natural body functions.
• The whole plant is generally greater, and safer, than the sum of its parts.
• You still need to be aware of possible side effects, drug interactions, and herbs to avoid in certain conditions (i.e., pregnancy), so you do need to handle with care.
Dosages
When I provide a suggested herbal remedy, I give the advised starting doses, but this will vary from animal to animal. Always watch your pet closely during treatment. Be aware of the side effects and potential interactions, and change the dose if needed.
To increase a dose, increase by 10 percent per day to a maximum of 50 percent above the suggested dose. If there is a reaction of any kind, cut the dose by 50 percent. If the reaction happens again, stop completely.
How to incorporate herbs in treating your dog or cat
Herbs are relatively safe and gentle medicines; most are very forgiving with fewer side effects compared to conventional medications. The goal of using herbs is to enable your pet’s body to ultimately heal itself. To see how to incorporate herbal healing, let’s look at the example of a dog with chronic allergies.
Chronic allergies
The most common causes of allergies include food, atopy (environmental), and parasites. This produces secondary signs such as chronic itching, infected skin, red lesions, pustules, thickened black skin, ear infections, and chronic paw licking.
Antibiotic andsteroid therapies may make the symptoms disappear, but the underlying cause will continue, and the disease may be pushed deeper into your pet’s body, resulting in a much more serious disorder over time.
Tonic herbs are used to gently support your pet’s cleansing—they make it easier for pets to heal themselves.
Tonics: A Basic Formula for Chronic Skin Problems
• Two parts burdock root, one part dandelion, onepart red clover, and onepart garlic powder.
• Tincture, tea, or the pressed juice of the fresh herb must be used.
• Flaxseed oil, fish oil, or a fatty acid supplement should be fed along with this formula.
Dose: one tablespoon per forty pounds of your pet’s body weight daily.This tonic will assist organ functions and help optimize the absorption of needed nutrients.
Herbal Symptomatic Relief
For animals with itchy skin, use an oatmeal-based shampoo. Peppermint or lavender skin rinse is another option to help relieve itching.
If itching is associated with minor redness, a daily skin rinse of cooled chamomile, plantain, or calendula tea may bring relief. Completely soak your pet with the tea, and allow your pet to drip dry.
If scabs or sores are present, try combining calendula and comfrey with sage or thyme tea in equal proportions. When cooled and used in a rinse, this will speed up the healing process and help prevent any bacterial infection.
With bacterial skin infection, use internal doses of echinacea tincture, and use external doses of herbs such as echinacea and Oregon grape, or goldenseal, in a tincture or salve format.
For severe itching, using internal doses of licorice may bring relief. Licorice can help boost production of corticosteroids in the body and provide direct anti-inflammatory help. Use licorice only for short-term inflammatory flare-ups.
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