Pet Corner: History of Herbs

Image Gallery Herbs can help animals cope with infections and anxiety. Photo courtesy of W. Morris

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Mullein was considered the “herb of protection” and the “herb of love” 

Herbal mythology is fascinating, and it’s a good way to gain an understanding about herbs when you first decide to start using them with your pet. Virtually every medicinal herb has mythical stories, but the few that follow especially caught my eye.

Echinacea (Echinacea spp.) grows wild in Kansas, where I live, and it was once the “medicine cabinet” of several prairie Indian tribes. Native Americans and frontiersmen used echinacea to cure snakebites and rabies, although I’m suspicious about its ability to heal those afflictions.

It was also used for coughs, colds, sore throats, infections, chronic conditions, and arthritis—all maladies for which I might recommend echinacea with the pets I treat today. Echinacea is my favorite immune ­system balancer, and I recommend it often because many of my “pet patients” have immune system imbalances.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is another of my favorite herbs. It’s truly a magical healer, and I enjoy poking fun at my urban friends who use chemicals to rid their yard of one of nature’s most potent medicinal herbs.

Dandelion’s name may have come from the proclamations of Wilhelm, a surgeon in the 1400s who thought its powers were as potent as “lion’s teeth,” which translates to dens leonis in Latin. Or the name may have come from the fact that the leaves resemble the canine teeth of a lion—dent de leon in French. I also like the French common name for dandelion, pissenlit—or “pee in the bed,” so named for its diuretic effects.

I use dandelion for pets with liver ailments, but it’s also a good choice for a general systemic tonic. Pets that retain water benefit from dandelion because it’s a mild diuretic. And most animals seem to like the taste, so it’s easy to administer. I sprinkle a pinch or two of the chopped root over their food, or pour a mild dandelion tea, made with 1 teaspoon of the root, over dry food several times a week.

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) has long been considered a sacred herb, beginning with the story that it furnished Jesus’s crown of thorns. In ancient times, hawthorn wood was used to build funeral pyres, ­allowing the souls of the dead to escape through the thorns and ascend into heaven.

I use hawthorn berries for all types of cardiac problems I encounter in my veterinary practice. It helps improve coronary blood supply, complements metabolic processes, and can help normalize arrhythmias. I recommend hawthorn on a daily basis for pets with heart problems because it has few side effects. A pinch or two of the ground berries or a tea made from about 1 teaspoon of them can be sprinkled or poured over a pet’s food.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print