Healing your pet with herbs has many advantages. First of all, herb medicine has always been there, long before conventional medicine was. Somehow it got a reputation of not being that effective, but before conventional medicine stepped in, herbs were all we had. For emergencies, for chronic illnesses, even for anesthesia.
The knowledge of plants and their medicinal properties has been passed from generation to generation, always improving. Later, science has been able to explain these medicinal effects by analyzing the various plant components. Conventional medicine was actually born that way. By taking individual components of plants and creating with that a specific drug for a specific illness. Plants are whole and have many different active ingredients, working together, not just for one specific ailment but to restore a more holistic balance. For this reason, they are safer, lesser side effects, and have a greater margin of error.
Conventional medicine aimed for something more effective and specific, to treat a particular ailment. In that sense, conventional drugs work faster and in a more specific manner. They do have more side effects and a smaller margin of error. But for acute conditions that need fast relief, conventional medicine is a great help.
You see each type of medicine, being conventional, herbal, homeopathic, Chinese, or other, has a special role in healing. Conventional medicine is great with emergencies and quick relief but doesn’t do great work with chronic illnesses. This is because every cause of each disease is not just a symptom but jas a deeper root. An emotional imbalance. Conventional drugs treat the symptoms, but symptoms continue to reappear if the root cause is still there. Herbal medicine can also be helpful in acute situations but their best use would be for prevention, in interaction with other conventional drugs, or for chronic illnesses while working on the root cause.
Be aware!
The fact that plants are natural and out there, doesn’t mean they are completely safe. They are drugs and some of them have very potent effects, sometimes even poisonous. Some plants we use for ourselves might not be safe for your pet. Be aware of drug interaction and using certain herbs in different conditions. For example, many herbs are not safe during pregnancy, some can be dangerous with certain conditions such as heart disease or kidney/liver issues. Never just assume a plant is safe, always consult a professional.
Herb preparations
You can heal your pet with herbs in different ways. There are different herb preparations out there, it depends on the availability and how you want to use it. For example, with cats, I won’t recommend you use fresh herbs. They will never ingest them willingly and it will make everything much more difficult. For internal use, I would recommend tincture. For external use ointments. Let’s see what are our options.
Tictures
This is the most popular way to treat with herbs. It’s a highly concentrated liquid extract of herbs. Its concentration makes it very good for acute situations, but not only. Tinctures are stored in small dark containers with a dropper. It’s very easy to use, just te a few drops orally or add it to some drink like tea, water, or juice.
A tincture is basically herbs that have been soaked for some time in a solvent. That solvent can be either alcohol with water, glycerine, or vinegar. You can easily find almost any tincture in the pharmacy or herbal shop. Another option would be to make your own tincture. However, I would recommend you buy it already prepared if you don’t have the time, knowledge, and proper herbs.
Herbal teas
Also called infusions. these are made by steeping the herbs into hot water. In that way, the medicinal components are released into the water. If you use this method, make sure you cover your cup for a few minutes because there are some important volatile oils with medicinal properties that can evaporate.
This method of healing with herbs is great for long-term gradual healing. Although you can also use it in acute situations like fever. It’s a great way of extracting vitamins and minerals from plants, together with their medicinal properties. For this, you can use fresh herbs or dry herbs. Dry herbs are better as they have already released some water content which makes their other medicinal component more available for use.
For herbal infusions, you can use the leaves, the flowers, or the fruits.
Cold infusions
There are also cold infusions and you’ll want to use them for particular plants. For example, Marshmallow which is a mucilaginous plant is better used with cold water.
Herbal infused oils
Herbal oils or infused oils are basically herbs that have been infused into a carrier oil such as olive oil, almond oil, or another quality oil. These are NOT essential oils. Essential oils are very different, they are highly concentrated and need special equipment to produce them.
Herbals oils are great for messages. In that way, they penetrate the skin and their medicinal components are absorbed into the body. Also great for burns, skin repair, and muscle pain relief. For example, you can use fresh garlic infused into olive oil to make an antiseptic product. Also, calendula flowers make an excellent antiinflammatory product when infused into a carrier oil.
Poultices
A poultice is basically the meshed herbs made into a paste. You apply it to the skin and cover it. Leave it for about 20 minutes and rinse. This is mostly used for inflamed skin, burns, stings, irritations. Some poultices are used for soothing the skin after a burn or some inflammation. Other poultices are used for other purposed like drawing material out of the skin.
Herbal infused honey
Here is a simple way to make your medicine at home. Use raw unpasteurized quality honey. You basically use dry herbs, put in a sterilized jar, cover with honey and let it sit for about 4 weeks. In this way, the medicinal properties are slowly released into the honey. The infused honey can then be used internally as topically. Internally is great for colds, flu, digestion, stress. Topically you can use it for skin wounds, antimicrobial and antiinflammatory.
There are many other ways and preparations to using herbs as medicine. These are just a few ways you can do yourself at home. Always make sure you know how to make it, use quality herbs and solvent. Respect heating and storing rules. Everything is important if you want to make the most of the herbs.
If you have any doubt or would like more information, please contact me. I’ll be happy to help.
