Herbs: kinder to animals and kinder to the planet

Herbs have been used since ancient times to improve health, energy and vitality. A tried and tested wisdom handed down through generations. Not just a burst of flavour to food, herbs are valued for their active ingredients. These plant chemicals, working together, their combined power is a naturally effective aid for animal well-being. Holistic vet Dr Nick Thompson MRCVS explores the benefits.

Effective Herbal Products

Herbs are complex naturally sourced combinations of hundreds of plant biochemicals. Typically one herb will contain 4-600 different molecule types. Effective herbal products contain mixtures of herbs. Various herbs are selected and blended for a given effect.

A pharmaceutical wormer is an engineered mechanism, so the worms have only to get around one mechanism to be resistant. The complexity of the herb makes it impossible to outmanoeuvre, and therefore resistance to any given herb is impossible. You can read more about the growing problem of resistance in pharmaceuticals here.

Encourage Gut Immunity

A holistic approach to gut health makes much more sense. This is borne out in practice. If a dog is presented with masses of intestinal worms, using a conventional wormer can be dangerous if all the worms detach from the gut wall and die in the body all at once. If we use a herbal product, the effect is more gradual and gentle, with natural ingredients on hand to offer the gut help where it’s needed.

Three Simple Steps

My answer to all these problems in dogs is a simple three-step process:

• Use an effective herbal product frequently (we use Verm-X in my practice), for life, to promote optimal gut function from 4 weeks old.
• Use worm egg counts every three months to assess for worms and lungworm in the gut.
• Use pharmaceuticals, but only if necessary.
   

We live in a world in Europe and North America where we are over-dependent on pharmaceuticals. Worm egg counting and effective herbal preparations offer us a way to reduce this drug dependence. We can improve our approach to medicine, making it more holistic. Most importantly, we can further promote the health of our animals, not just fight disease when it comes along.

With a great deal of worry about the health of the planet, it’s great to know there are simple, positive actions we can all take.

Interested to learn more? 

The benefits of a healthy gut - read the article.

Taking care of animal health, naturally. Browse the range.