Useful Winter Herbs and Summer Herbs for Horses

Posted by Brookby Herbs, 23 Dec, 2010

Horse Health, Vitamins/Supplements

WINTER HERBS

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.

SUMMER HERBS

Summer is the perfect time for tasty herbs growing naturally.

In the summer and early autumn, horses require various nutrients to balance hormones through the duration of the breeding season and to prepare them for winter.

Chamomile, passionflower, valerian, hops and red raspberry leaves are excellent for mares in estrus and stallions used for stud. These herbs relieve much of the hyperactivity and aggression seen in mares in estrus, sexually maturing horses, and breeding stallions.

Cleansing, toning, and stimulating herbs are usually seen from spring to late summer. Such plants include plantain, dandelion, burdock, sheep sorrel, garlic, wormwood, yarrow, mullein and wild pansy.

These herbs cleanse and tone the lymph system, digestive tract, nervous system and immune system thereby helping horses stay healthy throughout the months when parasites and toxins are most prevalent. They also act as stimulants and equines will have better stamina and energy as a result.

External parasites are common in the warm months but horses seek out herbs to assist them in preventing this problem. Chickweed, plantain and mint are a few plants in which horses will roll to resist fleas, ticks, mites and other pests.

A good, healthy pasture will not only contain grass but also seasonal herbs (weeds) and most of these should be encouraged. The attentive horse owner will take note of herbs beneficial to the horse and provide these as they were intended to be used.

If your pastures and paddocks are healthy, you should find herbs growing at the appropriate times but in many cases they must be introduced for the benefit of your horse.

Although Nature provides the wild horse with beneficial herbs at just the right time, domestic horses require our initiative if they are to enjoy the health of their wild ancestors.

It is not harmful for a horse to eat herbs out of season but it can be detrimental if they do not receive certain plants at all. Allowing horses access to herbs that they naturally crave at particular times of the year can give their bodies the elements needed to prevent and correct hormonal problems.

The horse that grazes daily will seek out and eat the plants necessary to keep themselves healthy and therefore this aspect of horse care does not require human intervention. However, in cases where your horse is not at pasture frequently enough to enjoy seasonal herbs, you should provide herbs as part of the daily diet. Learning about seasonal herbs and how they affect equines can help owners select the plants that their horses need throughout the year.

Why not grow your own herbs? We have a Hedgerow Seed Mix available which contains seeds for the following herbs:

Parsley blend, Mugwort, Dill, Fenugreek, Valerian, Red Clover, Marjoram, Fodder Beet, Alfalfa, Sorrell, Chamomile, Chervil, Chicory blend, Burnet, Corn Poppy, Yarrow, Fennel, Garlic, Chives.

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