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With all the hoopla generated by a booming herbal products industry, it's easy to find ourselves lost in a sea of "scientifically-proven" herb supplements. Certainly, whenever progress is made in the scientific validation of herbs,
great new possibilities unfold. But if we wish to use herbs at their full potential, we must be careful not to get caught up in a whirlwind of hype. If we do, we may fail to see the true breadth of an herb's usefulness. Sometimes the greatest attributes of a popular herb are overshadowed by whichever of its uses have received the best press. For example, Ginkgo biloba is aggressively marketed as a medicine that can increase blood circulation to the brain and improve mental clarity in persons and animals suffering from various forms of dementia. This is backed up by dozens of scientific studies, and indeed, ginkgo can help the brain. But did you know that the mechanisms by which ginkgo accomplishes these feats, make it broadly useful throughout the entire body, not just the brain? In fact, ginkgo was used by the Chinese as a digestive and kidney tonic for thousands of years before brain attributes were discovered by modern scientists. From the perspective of a holistic herbalist, the brain attributes of ginkgo are only a segment of what the herb really has to offer. Ginkgo can help strengthen the structural integrity of blood vessels and improve blood delivery to oxygen-dependent tissues of the extremities, digestive organs, the kidneys, and even the eyes. This means that ginkgo is useful in a wide variety of applications - from the treatment of arthritis to kidney failure. Ginkgo is also useful as a nutritive adjunct to assist the transport of blood-carried nutrients, such as those provided by various other herbs, like nettle, dandelion, or burdock. One of the pitfalls of evaluating herbs from only what the headlines read is that most scientific studies compare herbs with conventional medicine, meaning the focus of most studies is centered on what an herb can or cannot do in the treatment of a specific ailment. As a result of this, herbs are treated as "plant drugs" by most of the scientific community, and their broader food values are largely overlooked. The herbalist who views health from a whole body perspective sees herbs as something unique to both food and medicine. Herbs are not drugs, nor are the simple foods. Instead, the holistic herbalist sees herbs as something in between. Simply put, herbs provide the body with special measures of support that bridge the gaps that may exist between what a body receives from diet, and what it needs in terms of added systemic assistance. For example, an animal that does not fully digest and assimilate its food and cannot put on body weight may benefit from the support of powdered Yucca schidigera root. When added in small amounts to the animal's food, the herb will help improve the absorption of nutrients in the intestine, thus optimizing the nutrient value of the food. Dandelion or burdock root on the other hand, may serve to improve the liver's production of bile, enzymes, and various other biochemicals, which are critical to digestion and the transport of nutrients throughout the body, while at the same time adding a rich diversity of vitamins and minerals to the animal's diet. This makes dandelion and burdock especially useful in animals suffering from chronic constipation, arthritis, skin problems, or other disorders that may be associated with deficient liver function. In addition to their capacity to improve the body's utilization of the food it receives, many herbs contribute their own rich sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Unlike many high-potency vitamin supplements that have the potential to over-load the body with excess nutrients, nutritive herbs do not place added burden upon the liver, kidneys and digestive system. Instead, herbs provide their nutritional values in food-like form that the body can freely digest and utilize. This makes nutritive herbs especially useful for animals that have malabsorption problems - such as elderly dogs and cats, and those who suffer from food allergies or the long term effects of antibiotic therapies or intestinal parasites. In other words, nutritive herbs can help provide special measures of added support, without contributing stress to an already over-stressed body. By Gregory L Tilford, Herbalist © Copyright 1999
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted, individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified holistic veterinarian
or alternative practitioner and is not intended as veterinary advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Healthy Pet Boutique, its owners and our community. We encourage you
to make your own health care decisions for your pets based upon your own research.
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