History
Echinacea has a colourful history. It was first used by American Indian tribes. Only the medicine man knew the secrets of the various plants which he would use to heal diseases. And he would only pass on these secrets to his successor when he felt himself to be near to death. So it was a very unusual yet lucky occurrence when a white doctor befriended a medicine man and learnt of the immense medicinal value of Echinacea, a plant belonging to the daisy family.
This doctor was named Meyer and he introduced western doctors to Echinacea. His long list of medicinal claims for Echinacea was met with derision. But this scorn soon turned into admiration, when the plant was shown to be effective.
Since then, the herb has been included in recognised formularies and pharmacopeias, and over 400 scientific papers have been published on its chemistry and clinical uses. It has become one of the most popular herbal medicines in the world.
How it works
Echinacea increases the disease fighting capability of the body by increasing the response that naturally occurs when the body fights off disease. It can be used as a preventative medicine to ward off disease or as a treatment for diseases.
The Equine Research Centre in Canada has recently done extensive testing of Echinacea in horses. Their trial used eight horses. Each horse was fed Echinacea for 42 days then fed no Echinacea for a further 42 days. Blood samples were taken and subjected to a complete screen every seven days.
The results were dramatic. The Echinacea increased the level of red blood cells, lymphocytes (involved with the immune response) and haemoglobin (oxygen carrier). It increased the activity of the neutrophils (cells which consume foreign particles in the blood).
Another study treated horses with strangles using Echinacea. Within 24 hours, there was a noticeable improvement in symptoms and general condition and the horse's appetites returned to normal.
In humans, a mixture of Echinacea and vitamin C was shown to reduce the average number of days of a common cold and reduce the severity of the symptoms.
Toxicity
Echinacea has been found to be "virtually non-toxic" with no side-effects. Massive doses (many times the human therapeutic dose) were given to mice with no ill effects.
If used continuously for a long time, Echinacea starts to lose its effect. So it is recommended to use for no longer than 8 weeks followed by a one week rest period. After the rest period, the Echinacea's effect should be optimal again.
Implications for horses
Our horses, especially competitive horses who are transported from event to event on a regular basis, are exposed to a wide variety of pathogens. Echinacea can help fight these pathogens off. This is why Echinacea is becoming one of the most widely used herbs in the equine industry.
Showing posts with label herbal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label herbal. Show all posts
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Ginseng, the Power Herb
Ginseng is a herb that has been attributed many, many powers. Many years ago, wars were fought defending ginseng lands. These days, products still line the shelves of pharmacies, promising all sorts of things - from virility to improved brain power. Some of these claims have been scientifically substantiated, others - well, they are just claims, and scientific proof is still lacking.
Types
I was surprised at the number of different plants that go under the name of ginseng. Most ginsengs are Panax ginsengs - this includes the American ginseng, Korean ginseng and Himalayan ginseng. These are very rare and hence expensive. Siberian ginseng belongs to the same family, but is a different genus - Eleutherococcus.
History
The use of ginseng dates back to prehistoric China. The Chinese noticed that the root was shaped like a man and believed it to be a symbol of human health, promoting long life, wisdom and fertility. It soon became hugely popular. Wars broke out over ginseng lands and smuggling of the root was punishable by death.
Much later, interest in western countries was stimulated after Soviet scientists used Eleutherococcus as stress medication for cosmonauts.
Action
The following actions have been attributed to ginseng:
anti-depressive
physical and mental performance enhancer
resistance stimulation
Research
Soviet scientists were the first to investigate ginseng. It became classified as an important adaptogen (a substance which improves the body's ability to adapt to stressful situations). They showed that Siberian ginseng improves mental and physical performance under stressful conditions. In athletic events, ginseng shifts the metabolism to favour the utilisation of fat over carbohydrates for energy. This delays lactic acid build-up. Which, as any athlete will tell you, is a good thing, as lactic acid causes muscle fatigue and cramps.
Ginseng has also been shown to have immunostimulatory activity. In other words, it fights pathogens (disease-causing entities). Ginseng does this by increasing the number of white blood cells (fighting cells) and by helping with antibody formation.
Ginseng has also recently been found to be useful in the treatment of Type II diabetes in humans.
The Nutraceutical Alliance in Canada has been specifically researching ginseng in horses. They have found evidence that substantiates both the fatigue reducing and the immunostimulatory effects of ginseng.
Use
Ginseng has withstood toxicity tests, with no known side-effects except occasional cases of insomnia in humans, when taken too close to bedtime. There are also no known interactions with other drugs.
Very high doses should be avoided, however, as they can result in high blood pressure. The dose depends on the form of ginseng used. For the dry powdered root, not more than 6 grams should be taken daily.
The potential for the use of ginseng in horses is enormous. Our horses are constantly coming into contact with other horses and places, and as a result are being exposed to a wide variety of nasty foreign pathogens. The immuno-stimulatory properties of ginseng could be put to good use in helping the horse fight these pathogens.
As for the fatigue reducing effect of ginseng, the advantages are obvious - more stamina, better recovery, less muscle fatigue, more energy.
Types
I was surprised at the number of different plants that go under the name of ginseng. Most ginsengs are Panax ginsengs - this includes the American ginseng, Korean ginseng and Himalayan ginseng. These are very rare and hence expensive. Siberian ginseng belongs to the same family, but is a different genus - Eleutherococcus.
History
The use of ginseng dates back to prehistoric China. The Chinese noticed that the root was shaped like a man and believed it to be a symbol of human health, promoting long life, wisdom and fertility. It soon became hugely popular. Wars broke out over ginseng lands and smuggling of the root was punishable by death.
Much later, interest in western countries was stimulated after Soviet scientists used Eleutherococcus as stress medication for cosmonauts.
Action
The following actions have been attributed to ginseng:
anti-depressive
physical and mental performance enhancer
resistance stimulation
Research
Soviet scientists were the first to investigate ginseng. It became classified as an important adaptogen (a substance which improves the body's ability to adapt to stressful situations). They showed that Siberian ginseng improves mental and physical performance under stressful conditions. In athletic events, ginseng shifts the metabolism to favour the utilisation of fat over carbohydrates for energy. This delays lactic acid build-up. Which, as any athlete will tell you, is a good thing, as lactic acid causes muscle fatigue and cramps.
Ginseng has also been shown to have immunostimulatory activity. In other words, it fights pathogens (disease-causing entities). Ginseng does this by increasing the number of white blood cells (fighting cells) and by helping with antibody formation.
Ginseng has also recently been found to be useful in the treatment of Type II diabetes in humans.
The Nutraceutical Alliance in Canada has been specifically researching ginseng in horses. They have found evidence that substantiates both the fatigue reducing and the immunostimulatory effects of ginseng.
Use
Ginseng has withstood toxicity tests, with no known side-effects except occasional cases of insomnia in humans, when taken too close to bedtime. There are also no known interactions with other drugs.
Very high doses should be avoided, however, as they can result in high blood pressure. The dose depends on the form of ginseng used. For the dry powdered root, not more than 6 grams should be taken daily.
The potential for the use of ginseng in horses is enormous. Our horses are constantly coming into contact with other horses and places, and as a result are being exposed to a wide variety of nasty foreign pathogens. The immuno-stimulatory properties of ginseng could be put to good use in helping the horse fight these pathogens.
As for the fatigue reducing effect of ginseng, the advantages are obvious - more stamina, better recovery, less muscle fatigue, more energy.
The Way of the Future is the Way of the Past
There are two main types of natural remedies that are administered orally (by mouth) to animals: herbal and homeopathic remedies. People often get confused between the two. I'd like to briefly explain the differences between the two.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of medicine very difficult to describe. This is because no one, not even the best of homeopaths, knows exactly how it works. Homeopathic remedies consist of very diluted solutions of substances to resolve symptoms that they would, in higher doses, cause. Say, for example you have a red itchy rash - a homeopathic dilution of urtica (stinging nettle, which would normally cause a red, itchy rash) would cure it. How fascinating is that!
The original substance in the dilution is usually natural - of plant, animal or mineral origin. This is progressively diluted (1 part to 100 each time), with violent shaking each time, up to 30 times. In molecular terms, it is very unlikely that any of the original substance exists in the final dilution. Yet somehow, a "memory" of the original substance remains and this triggers a healing response in the animal's body.
Herbalism
Herbal medicines are not diluted in this way. They are usually administered in the concentrated form or as a relatively strong solution. Consequently, they do not have the "opposite to expected" effect that homeopathic remedies do. (In other words, stinging nettle in an undiluted form causes a red itchy rash.)
Herbs consist of a "cocktail" of molecules, some of which are therapeutic in some way, some not. In fact, the effects and sometimes even the identities of all of the molecules present in herbs are not always known. Scientists, trying to pin down the therapeutic action of herbs to one molecule have come up with problems. For example, the anti-depressant qualities of St John's Wort were attributed to a molecule in the plant called hypericin. But synthetically manufactured hypericin had relatively little anti-depressant action. It was then discovered that several other molecules present in St John's Wort contributed to the anti-depressant action. (Message: don't mess with nature!)
History
Herbalism is a much older art than homeopathy. The use of herbs dates back to the Ancients Hippocrates (468 BC). Homeopathy was developed by a German doctor called Samuel Hahnemann in 1796.
Trends
The use of both forms of medicine, as well as other alternative therapies, is growing in recent years, for both humans and animals. This is partly a response to the failure of synthetic pharmaceuticals to treat the problem as a whole. Doctors and vets have tended to prescribe drugs to treat the symptoms of a disease, instead of treating the root problem. Holistic practitioners, on the other hand, using both homeopathic and herbal medicines where appropriate, look at the entire picture and treat each individual uniquely. Also, instead of treating the animal after catastrophe has struck, natural medical practitioners believe in maintaining good health in order to prevent disease. This said, it must be remembered that, in some circumstances, it is vital to call a vet and in no circumstances would it be wise to delay this.
So...This article is not intended to advocate either discipline - Herbalism or Homeopathy. It is intended to advocate a holistic approach to pet care.
Disillusionment with modern synthetic medicines has bought about a gradual, but definite growth in natural medicine. In recent years this has become known as the "herbal renaissance". This trend, which began in humans, has extended to horses and other animals. Animal owners are no longer relying solely on vets for advice. They are becoming more and more likely to consult alternative practitioners such as homeopaths, herbalists, chiropractics, etc.
In the words of Wendy Pearson of the Equine Research Centre in Ontario, Canada: "The way of the future is the way of the past".
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of medicine very difficult to describe. This is because no one, not even the best of homeopaths, knows exactly how it works. Homeopathic remedies consist of very diluted solutions of substances to resolve symptoms that they would, in higher doses, cause. Say, for example you have a red itchy rash - a homeopathic dilution of urtica (stinging nettle, which would normally cause a red, itchy rash) would cure it. How fascinating is that!
The original substance in the dilution is usually natural - of plant, animal or mineral origin. This is progressively diluted (1 part to 100 each time), with violent shaking each time, up to 30 times. In molecular terms, it is very unlikely that any of the original substance exists in the final dilution. Yet somehow, a "memory" of the original substance remains and this triggers a healing response in the animal's body.
Herbalism
Herbal medicines are not diluted in this way. They are usually administered in the concentrated form or as a relatively strong solution. Consequently, they do not have the "opposite to expected" effect that homeopathic remedies do. (In other words, stinging nettle in an undiluted form causes a red itchy rash.)
Herbs consist of a "cocktail" of molecules, some of which are therapeutic in some way, some not. In fact, the effects and sometimes even the identities of all of the molecules present in herbs are not always known. Scientists, trying to pin down the therapeutic action of herbs to one molecule have come up with problems. For example, the anti-depressant qualities of St John's Wort were attributed to a molecule in the plant called hypericin. But synthetically manufactured hypericin had relatively little anti-depressant action. It was then discovered that several other molecules present in St John's Wort contributed to the anti-depressant action. (Message: don't mess with nature!)
History
Herbalism is a much older art than homeopathy. The use of herbs dates back to the Ancients Hippocrates (468 BC). Homeopathy was developed by a German doctor called Samuel Hahnemann in 1796.
Trends
The use of both forms of medicine, as well as other alternative therapies, is growing in recent years, for both humans and animals. This is partly a response to the failure of synthetic pharmaceuticals to treat the problem as a whole. Doctors and vets have tended to prescribe drugs to treat the symptoms of a disease, instead of treating the root problem. Holistic practitioners, on the other hand, using both homeopathic and herbal medicines where appropriate, look at the entire picture and treat each individual uniquely. Also, instead of treating the animal after catastrophe has struck, natural medical practitioners believe in maintaining good health in order to prevent disease. This said, it must be remembered that, in some circumstances, it is vital to call a vet and in no circumstances would it be wise to delay this.
So...This article is not intended to advocate either discipline - Herbalism or Homeopathy. It is intended to advocate a holistic approach to pet care.
Disillusionment with modern synthetic medicines has bought about a gradual, but definite growth in natural medicine. In recent years this has become known as the "herbal renaissance". This trend, which began in humans, has extended to horses and other animals. Animal owners are no longer relying solely on vets for advice. They are becoming more and more likely to consult alternative practitioners such as homeopaths, herbalists, chiropractics, etc.
In the words of Wendy Pearson of the Equine Research Centre in Ontario, Canada: "The way of the future is the way of the past".
Horses - to supplement or not?
Ideally, none of our horses should need any supplementation to their diets. In a perfect world, our horses would have a constant supply of good grazing and the concentrated feed that we give them would be tailored specifically for their own particular needs. But we don't live in this perfect world and our grazing quality is variable at best (some of our horses don't have access to grazing at all). Exercise and weather affect our horse's energy requirements and horse feed quality can be good, bad or variable. Without a chemist to analyse every component of our horses diet, every day and relate the results to his energy requirements, we are, to a large extent, guessing when it comes to feeding our horses. Realistically, all we can hope to do is to provide all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that he may or may not need during the day.
Wastage
It has been argued (in humans at least), that supplementation with vitamins is unnecessary and results in nothing more than yellow urine. But this is like arguing that water is unnecessary because it also ends up in the urine! Taking vitamins is like drinking a glass of water - as they are needed in the body, they are used. If a need for a certain mineral or vitamin exists, and none is available, signs of deficiency will manifest themselves.
Quality
All sorts of variables play a part in whether or not supplementation is necessary. The quality of the grazing and/or the hay is important. So is the quality of the concentrate fed. And even a very good quality hay or concentrate deteriorates on storage. Also, even if a nutrient, vitamin or mineral is present in the diet, this does not mean that it is present in an easily digestible form. Some chemical forms of iron, for example, are very difficult to absorb.
Special Requirements
Then there are the horses with special requirements. Older horses have digestive systems that are less efficient than younger horse's, so they don't absorb the nutrients as well as they should. Horses who have had severe worm problems or who have been starved may have damaged digestive systems. Other horses have weak hooves and require more of certain nutrients to correct this. Show horses need to be in exceptionally good condition.
Sport horses, like endurance horses, eventers or racehorses have much higher energy requirements than horses in normal work. They also need more protein and amino acids for muscle-building. Muscles are made up mainly of proteins, which in turn are comprised of strings of amino acids joined together. Certain amino acids, e.g. lysine, are known as essential amino acids. This means that they can't be synthesised by the horse's own body. So if they are not supplied in the diet, and a certain protein needs to be made, when it comes to the place in the protein chain where that particular amino acid fits, protein synthesis (and therefore muscle development) just stops.
Disadvantages
What are the disadvantages of supplementation? Some people argue that our horse feeds are balanced, so supplementation with vitamins etcetera, unbalances the feed. Here again, we can return to the "glass of water" analogy - if the horse doesn't need what we are supplying, then it just passes straight through. So at worst, we are just wasting money! But if the horse's body does need what we are supplying, it is there and can be used.
Over dosages and side-effects
This is, of course provided that we don't go completely overboard and overdose with vitamins and minerals. This is possible, especially with the fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A (Retinol). So, it is of utmost importance to feed only as directed by the supplier and not to use too many different supplements at once.
Herbal supplements, especially, must be regarded as medicines. One can overdose on herbs and side effects are also common. In some countries, certain herbs e.g. Valeriana, are banned and are tested for when drug testing takes place. So be sure to choose a reputable supplier of herbal supplements.
Conclusion
So, overall, the choice to supplement or not is up to the individual horse owner. Keep a close eye on your horse's condition - he may need extra supplements only at certain times of the year, or only during periods of hard work. Or he may have one of those digestive systems that need extra supplementation all year round. Every horse's situation is unique and each horse needs to be treated as an individual.
Wastage
It has been argued (in humans at least), that supplementation with vitamins is unnecessary and results in nothing more than yellow urine. But this is like arguing that water is unnecessary because it also ends up in the urine! Taking vitamins is like drinking a glass of water - as they are needed in the body, they are used. If a need for a certain mineral or vitamin exists, and none is available, signs of deficiency will manifest themselves.
Quality
All sorts of variables play a part in whether or not supplementation is necessary. The quality of the grazing and/or the hay is important. So is the quality of the concentrate fed. And even a very good quality hay or concentrate deteriorates on storage. Also, even if a nutrient, vitamin or mineral is present in the diet, this does not mean that it is present in an easily digestible form. Some chemical forms of iron, for example, are very difficult to absorb.
Special Requirements
Then there are the horses with special requirements. Older horses have digestive systems that are less efficient than younger horse's, so they don't absorb the nutrients as well as they should. Horses who have had severe worm problems or who have been starved may have damaged digestive systems. Other horses have weak hooves and require more of certain nutrients to correct this. Show horses need to be in exceptionally good condition.
Sport horses, like endurance horses, eventers or racehorses have much higher energy requirements than horses in normal work. They also need more protein and amino acids for muscle-building. Muscles are made up mainly of proteins, which in turn are comprised of strings of amino acids joined together. Certain amino acids, e.g. lysine, are known as essential amino acids. This means that they can't be synthesised by the horse's own body. So if they are not supplied in the diet, and a certain protein needs to be made, when it comes to the place in the protein chain where that particular amino acid fits, protein synthesis (and therefore muscle development) just stops.
Disadvantages
What are the disadvantages of supplementation? Some people argue that our horse feeds are balanced, so supplementation with vitamins etcetera, unbalances the feed. Here again, we can return to the "glass of water" analogy - if the horse doesn't need what we are supplying, then it just passes straight through. So at worst, we are just wasting money! But if the horse's body does need what we are supplying, it is there and can be used.
Over dosages and side-effects
This is, of course provided that we don't go completely overboard and overdose with vitamins and minerals. This is possible, especially with the fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A (Retinol). So, it is of utmost importance to feed only as directed by the supplier and not to use too many different supplements at once.
Herbal supplements, especially, must be regarded as medicines. One can overdose on herbs and side effects are also common. In some countries, certain herbs e.g. Valeriana, are banned and are tested for when drug testing takes place. So be sure to choose a reputable supplier of herbal supplements.
Conclusion
So, overall, the choice to supplement or not is up to the individual horse owner. Keep a close eye on your horse's condition - he may need extra supplements only at certain times of the year, or only during periods of hard work. Or he may have one of those digestive systems that need extra supplementation all year round. Every horse's situation is unique and each horse needs to be treated as an individual.
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