Herbs have safely been used to treat illnesses in horses for thousands of years, just as they have been used by humans.

In fact horses, like most animals are wonderful herbalists. They instinctively seek out a wide variety of plants as they graze, and use these plants to self medicate.

Horses are sensitive to some herbs, so never assume that a herb is safe for a horse just because you can use it yourself or on another animal. Dosage is also very important.

It takes years to train a herbalist about the safe use of herbs. A large amount of time also includes what is called “the fine print”. Which herbs should never be used. Which herbs need to be used with caution, especially in regards to dosage.

When it comes to herbal treatment of animals, what is safe in a human can kill a horse.  A herb that can safely be used by dogs can kill a cat.

More harm is done by herbs out of ignorance from untrained lay people than by all the herbalists in the world combined.

The aim of the information in Herbs 4 Horses is to provide  information on some common herbs that can help your horse with minor ailments.

For more serious complaints, consult a herbalist trained in herbal treatment of horses.

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SENNA TEA

Alexandrian Senna – Cassia acutifolia -Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa

American (or Wild) Senna – Cassia marilantica – Eastern USA

This tea has been used for millenia as a safe, gentle laxative, and was beloved by the ancient Egyptians and Native Americans. It is also  considered an excellent remedy for intestinal worms.

The tea can be either Senna pods, or dried leaves + ground pods. Senna is also available in tablet and extract form.

A cup of Senna tea in the evening before bed produces a one off bowel motion the following morning for cases of mild constipation.  Senna does not usually cause griping pains, so is a good mild laxative for children.

Taken this way, Senna tea is also safe for the constipation experienced by pregnant ladies, but the dosage of one cup in the evening must not be exceeded.

For non pregnant ladies, if Senna tea doesn’t work you may need to try something stronger, like Liquorice Root or Sassafras.

Persistant constipation requires medical investigation to exclude any serious underlying medical condition.

Senna can be part of a bowel cleansing regime and its effect is amplified by the Australian Bush Flower Essence “Bottlebrush”.

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RASPBERRY LEAF

(Rubus striqosus or Rubus idaeus)

The former is found mostly in North America and has prickles, the latter is native to Europe and has few or no prickles. Both grow wild in the field and forests. Ah, but isn’t half the challenge avoiding the spiky bits as you gather the fruit and leaves?

Herbalists throughout the ages have given pregnant ladies a cup of Raspberry Leaf tea a day, for its many health giving benefits.

Its a good idea to start with this one three months before you try for a baby. It has an excellent reputation for aiding conception.

Raspberry Leaf is high in Iron, Copper, Vitamin A and Vitamin C, all needed by the growing baby. It is the highest food source of Folic Acid, a deficiency of which will cause spina bifida, so if you prefer your supplements natural (i.e. absorbable), take a cup of Raspberry Leaf tea a day in the first trimester.

In the second and third trimesters continue with a cup a day as it helps the placanta and also strengthens your uterine muscles so you get good strong contractions to more easily push out your baby during labour.

Keep it afterwards to get your uterus back in shape and to help milk production.

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Rosehip

(Rosa canina and Rosa Rubiginosa)

One of my favourites, with a tangy berry flavour. Rosehips is made from the his of the common Dogrose, with Rosa Rubiginosa being the Australian variety.

Rosehips are high in Iron, Copper, Vitamin P and Vitamin K, making useful for everyone, especially pregnant ladies.  One cup of Rosehips tea will also provide your full daily allowance of Vitamin C.

A tonic for the adrenal glands and high in energy, Rosehips tea provides you with excellent support when you are feeling tired or stressed. It gives an equivalent boost as a cup of coffee, but is health enhancing rather than health depleting.

Try it hot in Winter either by itself or with some cinnamon or chilled in Summer with a slice or lemon.

Professional herbalists also use this in its concentrated form as an extract to achieve its many beneficial effects even faster.

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My friend and colleague Kimm Woodward has written a fantastic e-book called “The Herbal A-Z”. Kimm is a herbalist and an acupuncturist so is trained in both both Western and Chinese naturopathic philosophy and combines both of these in her book.

Kimm had a successful clinic in SE Queensland, Australia, for many years, and now that she has become an “Elder”, she decided to write down what she knows so it can pass into the hands of the next generation. Wanting her wisdom to be accessible to as many people as possible, she asked me to turn the raw material into an e-book and use my knowledge of the internet to “Get it Out There”.

The Herbal A to Z provides herbalists with an A-Z list of common ailments and the herbs traditionally used in their treatment.

It is a user friendly ready reference for practitioners and the curious. This apparently simple collection of information is  the summary of hundreds of years of research, experimentation, observation and learning by well known herbalists and writers who collected the information originally.  Kimm has collated and condensed it.

Even experienced herbalists will benefit from having this book in their clinic, because we all use herbs  differently and there is always more to learn. Those newer to this calling will find it especially invaluable.

Many of my friends are herbalists, which means we often end up talking herbs when we get together and swap information. It has always been so with those of us drawn to this calling! I love learning new ways to use my favourite herbs.

I trained with arguably the best herbalist in Australia, Dorothy Hall, towards the end of her career when she had been practising for over 55 years and teaching for over 40 years. I have now been in clinical practice for  over 10 years myself. In addition to this, I’ve been personally mentored by Ian White, founder of Australian Bush Flower Essences and Annie Meredith, an acuncturist, for my training as Senior Lecturer with Bush Essences. This work has brought me in contact with amazing healers and world class herbalists from all over Australia, the USA and Canada.

Even so, I learnt a lot when I read The Herbal A – Z. Not that this came as a surprise, I believe there is always lots more to learn about herbal medicine. One of the things I love about it is that I will never know more than a fraction of what there is to know. One can never be bored.

I immediately printed off a copy for my clinic and have been referring to it ever since.

My point is that this is a very practical and easy to use reference guide to have on your desk and you will use it daily.

Also included are additional pages:

• Common Herbs Listed According to Their Function and
• Vitamins in Food and Herbs

It is one thing to get a person well – but they need to keep themselves that way and so ‘food as medicine’ is valuable information for you to be able to share with your clients.

If you think the day may come when this knowledge may be lost buy this book.

If you are curious about herbal medicines that may have been used to treat an illness in the past, this is the book for you.

This book could also be of interest to the innovative medical researcher of the future.

To order click here

After payment, you will immediately be provided with an electronic version of the book to save to your computer and print off.

Please come back here and share your thoughts on the book with me and others.

Bruises respond well to topical applications of herbs, but for bid or deep bruises, internal herbs are also recommended.

Soak a cotton pad with Witchazel Lotion or 1stAde solution and apply as a compress to the affected area for between 15 and 60 minutes, depending upon the severity of the bruise. Repeat one to two times daily until all soreness, swelling and discolouration is completely gone.

You can also apply take homeopathic Arnica:

After the compress, apply Herbal Healer to the bruise several times daily.

Like all herbal medicines, the sooner you start the remedy, the faster and better the result. If it was not possible to apply these healing herbs immediately after the injury, start as soon as possible – better late than never. I

If you have a very old bruise that still feels hard and / or a little tender even months or years later, apply one of these herbs at least once a day until the area feels normal once again; this may take many months but it is important that it be done.

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Weekends, in the middle of the night, whilst overseas or out camping are all times when medical help is not as readily available as you might like. This is when a well stocked first aid kit comes in handy, and there are many safe, simple and economical natural remedies that can be of assistance until more help is at hand.

Insect stings respond very well to an application of Nettles ointment. I have used Nettles successfully with wasps, fleas, mozzies, ants, leeches, ticks and march flies. And of course, close encounters with Nettles herself. Apart from the fact that it works quickly, the best thing about this remedy is that the sting does not continue to come up itchy again in the following days and weeks.You can also make up Nettles Tea and apply it as a lotion compress. Nettles tea is available to buy by clicking the icon immediately below.

If applied immediately Nettles as an ointment or lotion / compress will soothe the bite within ten minutes (and that will usually be the last you think of it). If its still itchy after ten minutes, repeat the application at ten minute intervals until you have relief. Three times is nearly always enough.

Be aware that Nettles ointment will only relieve the itch from ticks. It is VITAL that the tick is removed fully by the head and any other symptoms watched for and immediately treated because tick bites can quickly prove fatal.

Chickweed is another good remedy for itching this time for the itching of eczema and psoriasis. You can also take it as a tea for eczema or psoriasis. Chickweed is a herb that you can both put on the outside while you are taking it on the inside. Chickweed ointment is very soothing if the skin is really dry.

My Soothing Itch Balm is absolutely wonderful for people, horses and dogs – click below for more information and to buy.

• Soothing Itch Balm for people
• Soothing Itch Balm for horses
  
• Soothing Itch Balm for dogs

(But do not use Soothing Itch Balm on cats – they are very sensitive and the essential oils in this formula are way too strong for cats to use it safely).

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When you get stressed, your brain responds by telling your adrenal glands to secrete the hormone adrenaline. This is the fight or flight hormone. If you get a fright, nature instantly turns on your survival response. Blood is diverted away from your digestion to your heart, brain and muscles; your heart and breathing rates increase, your muscles tense (ready for action) and your blood pressure goes up. All of this is designed to enable you to attack whatever is threatening you, or run away from it whatever your brain believes is the best option in the circumstances.

This is a biological hangover from earlier times, when sabre tooth tigers and marauding war parties lurked at the cave or castle entrance. The adrenal response is just as useful today in life threatening situations being accosted in a dark alley, being caught up in a natural disaster, getting stuck halfway down a cliff, finding a loved one underneath something heavy. There are many stories of people displaying incredible strength and presence of mind in such circumstances, feats that they would normally not be capable of. All thanks to the adrenal response.

However often the threat not quite so immediate or overt. Nonetheless your body still responds the way nature has programmed it to in times of danger adrenally. Good examples of this in modern times include: foreclosure or bankruptcy proceedings; wondering if you can make your mortgage or rent repayments; fear of terrorist attack; the government deciding to forcefully resume your home to build major infrastruture; your boss threatening to sack you; worrying if you can feed yourself and your family; someone nearly running into you in your car; a violent or abusive relationship; bullying. You probably call these things stress. Your body regards them as threats to your survival.

In civilised society, it is deemed unacceptable to belt politicians, bank managers or bosses whom you believe are threatening your survival in the aforementioned ways. The police tend to take you away and lock you up, adding to your stress. Often, it is simply not possible to run away from the stress either. Which leaves your body all hyped up and with no place to go.

Normally, once the danger has passed, your body secretes another hormone to return you to your former relaxed state. However with these types of ongoing modern day stresses, your body remains in a state of high alert ready to fight or flee.

The physical effects of this in the short term include any of the following: high blood pressure, raised pulse rate, poor digestion, muscle tension, aggression, anxiety, panic attacks, lowered immunity and reproductive problems.

High levels of circulating adrenaline over an extended period of time can cause heart problems, thyroid imbalance, infertility, vulnerability to communicable diseases, auto-immune disorders and cancer. Stress can, potentially, have serious repercussions on your health and longevity. There are many natural remedies that can help. with stress. Australian Bush Flower Essences have two very good combinations for stress – Calm and Clear and Emergency Essence, available here.

Herbs that can be useful include the generally calming and soothing Chamomile Tea. Rosehips Tea, being full of Vitamin C, has a tonic effect on the adrenals and helps you to cope with large challenges.

Should these fail to help, professional herbalists have many practitioner strength herbs which will be of great assistance.

If your stress levels are high, or stress has been going on for more than a month, you really need to seek professional advice and not try to self diagnose or self treat.

Meditation, yoga, massage, exercising, spending time relaxing with friends or pursuing a hobby you enjoy, are all other excellent ways to alleviate stress. A good counsellor is also invaluable for helping you put things into perspective and for giving you tools to deal with your situation.

Avoid coffee and cigarettes. They make you feel better at the time because they give your adrenal glands a boot to produce more adrenaline. However ultimately they deplete your adrenal glands, leaving you less able to cope than ever.

The natural remedies listed above not only help you feel better in the short term, but actively build your reserve energy and strength.

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Motherwort is one of my favourite herbs and I reach for it daily in the clinic. It is wonderful for women of all ages.

In the olden days herbs were often given a common name reflecting their use – Knit bone for Comfrey for example. Wort is the Olde English word for herb so this plants common name is literally Mother Herb.

During child bearing years, Motherwort is great for treating Pre Menstrual Syndrome, painful or late periods and irritability. To settle even the heaviest of periods it is one of the best herbs of all.

Motherwort assists with long difficult labours and Chinese herbalists often use it to slow down post delivery bleeding. According to the famous 16th Century herbalist Nicholas Culpepper, There is no better herb to drive melancholic vapours from the heart, to strengthen it and make the mind merry.. Besides, it makes women joyful mothers of children, and settles their wombs. As such, I often give Motherwort to prevent or treat post natal depression. Additionally, there is a whole range of emotions which are unique to mothers, and Motherwort shines when it comes to helping mothers regain their emotional equilibrium. In this respect I find it the herbal equivalent of the Australian Bush Flower Essence Alpine Mint Bush.

During menopause, it is really useful for treating hot flushes and night sweats. A leading Australian herbalist (male!) recommends its use for hysterical menopausal women. Whether or not menopausal women are ‘hysterical’ or simply finding their voices is debatable, however I would say that in my experience Motherwort is certainly excellent for balancing womens emotions as well as their bodies.

The Latin name for Motherwort is Leonurus cardica literally translating as lion hearted. In this respect, physically, Motherwort has historically been used to settle palpitations and tightness in the chest. Emotionally it has a strong reputation for strengthening the heartessential for the mother of the house to effectively nurture her family as well as herself.

Coughs are sometimes viral in origin in which case you can use the information in Colds with good effect.

However most common coughs are the result of a bacterial infection, often from the Staphlococcal family of bacteria. Garlic has been used for thousands of years for chest infections and its beneficial action is thought to be due to the large amount of Sulphur it contains. Sulphur is the bit that makes it smell, so odourless garlic (which has the sulphur removed) is not necessarily going to work on infections. Pharmaceutical companies know all about Sulphur there is a whole class of antibiotics based on it the Sulphonamides.

Honey helps make Garlic more palatable and is very soothing to a throat made sore from too much coughing, so Garlic Honey has been on the herbalist’s shelf for many thousands of years. My home always has a big jar of unheated honey and organic garlic sitting by the window in the sun, steeping all through spring and summer, so it it is ready for the coughs that many of my clients experience with the change of season in Autumn.

Coughs can occur by themselves as a bacterial infection, or as a secondary infection following a cold or flu. There are generally two types of cough dry and moist. They can also be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition including whooping cough, tuberculosis, pneumonia, emphysema or lung cancer, so if a cough persists or rapidly worsens you need to seek urgent medical advice.

Dry coughs are usually rasping and tickly and paroxysmal, so that one cough sparks yet more coughing. There are a number of herbs which are excellent for this sort of cough Pulsatilla and Mullein are two of my favourites. For the dryness in the airways, herbs such as marshmallow root can also bring relief. All of these can be taken as teas. If this sort of cough persists or is accompaned by shortness of breathe it is very important to seek immediate medical aid as it may be a sign of a serious condition such as asthma or choking.

Wet coughs are when phlegm is produced. Hopefully you are able to bring this up if not you would benefit form some expectorant herbs. These assist your lungs with their natural healing process of eliminating the phlegm. Liqourice tea is a good home remedy for milder coughs of this nature. It is very important to cough the phlegm out otherwise it can become hardened and stuck and can cause a longer term, deeper infection – including bronchitis, pleurisy and pneumonia, all of which are potentially very serious and sometimes fatal. A qualified herbalist can assist you with expectorant herbs, which loosen and soften the phlegm and give your lungs the energy they need to cough it out.

As with colds, other supportive measures include:

• Vitamin C either in tablet or powder form as per the recommended dosage or in the form of Rosehips tea, freshly squeezed orange juice, or a hot lemon drink (add some honey to soothe your throat and for its antiseptic effect).
• Keep warm, especially if its windy, paying particular attention to your chest and feet.
• Rest. Winter is a time of slowing down, going within, and restinganimals hibernate and plants go dormantthere is a good reason for this. Copy them.
• Slow cooked soups and casseroles, hot teas and warm lemon and honey drinks are perfect comfort and soul food to keep you healthy during winter.
• Eat orange foods. Mother Earth colour codes her plants so you can know at a glance what nutrition they contain. Orange indicates beta carotene and/or vitamin A both tonics for the mucous membranes. Vitamin A is also present in high quantities in fish and fish oilespecially Cod Liver & Halibut Oils.

A good herbal extract for a broad spectrum of coughs is available through my clinic if you live locally to me. THis is good to have on hand through the cough season so you can take it at the first sign. As with all natural remedies, the sooner you start using them after the onset of symptoms, the better and more rapid the result. I can also customise a mixture to suit you individual needs if you already have a cough.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine the lungs are associated with grief. Take some time to ponder whether you are holding any sadness or grief either from recently or from the past. Flower Essences can help balance your emotions. Sturt Desert Pea is used for long held grief and sadness. Red Suva Frangipani is more for fresh grief, while Illawarra Flame Tree helps to energetically support immunity.

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