STANDARDBRED AND HERBS
HERBS FOR RESPIRATORY ILLNESS,
DISEASE,INFECTIONS
HERBS TO HEAL IMMUNE SYSTEMS
HERBS AND LUNG PROBLEMS
Herbal Programs for the Equine
Treating the
Standardbred Herbally: Respiratory Infections
By Loryhl Davis
My horse has a recurring respiratory infection and
he’s not a bleeder. He’ll race poorly, I’ll have him scoped and he’s
full of mucus. The vet will put him on antibiotics, the infection is
cleared up and I’ll get one good race out of him, and then, in his next start,
he’s sick with the same thing all over again. Is there any long-term
herbal treatment I could use on him to combat this problem?
Herbs can probably help this animal, but a temporary change
in its living conditions would probably help even more, if you can do it.
I am not a vet and I have never seen your horse, but your
question gave me some clues. The horse is racing, so its overall
health can’t be all that bad. Antibiotics knock down the problem, so
a bacterial infection is involved. Recurring infections means that
the immune system is not doing its job.
The problem shows up in the lungs, so there is probably some
weakness there, but the horse doesn’t bleed, so the blood vessels in the lungs
are strong. The problem likely compounds itself as excessive mucous
provides bacteria with an ideal breeding ground where the white blood cells can’t
get at them.
Like sewage from cities, the bacteria produce toxic waste
chemicals, which build up in the mucous and enter the bloodstream through the
thin-walled lining of the lungs. The blood carries these toxins to
every part of the body and one or more allergies may also be involved in making
the problem worse.
My strongest recommendation, if you can do it, is to try
letting the animal heal itself; the way horses have healed themselves for
millions of years before racetracks were invented.
Put the horse out on good pasture full of good grasses and a
variety of other plants and bushes like wild rose and saskatoon. Lung
problems are commonly related to ventilation and the combination of fresh food,
fresh air, exercise and sunlight is the life the horse was designed for. Anything
in your barn or your feed that the animal may be allergic to won’t be around.
If your horse is tied to the track for the time being, there
are herbs which have been used for centuries to clean out and tone up the lungs
and to boost the body’s ability to fight off infection. Two of them,
garlic and ginger, are carried in your grocery store.
I generally prefer to work with herbs in blends. My
experience has convinced me that when an animal has a chronic weakness, every
organ and system of the body is involved. Your horse’s lungs are not
operating in a jar on a shelf. Good formulas use compatible herbs,
which accentuate and complement each other to heal the body as a whole.
For your horse, I would definitely recommend garlic, an
excellent herb for building up the immune system. This process could
take one to six months, depending on the severity of the problem. Garlic
works as a natural antibiotic, helps the body get rid of excess mucous, reduces
inflammation and improves circulation. The benefits of
garlic will show up in the coat, which improves to a high gloss with
dapples. Garlic is also used as a natural wormer and an
anti-arthritic.
During World War 1, garlic was widely used to control wound
infections. In 1916, the British government put out a call for tons
of garlic, offering to buy as much as people could grow. Juice from
the garlic bulbs was diluted with water and applied to the wounds on swabs of
sterilized sphagnum moss. It worked well.
When plague struck the city of Marseilles in 1722, a
concoction called “Four Thieves Vinegar” was reported to be effective in
protecting people from the disease. Four thieves invented it who
used to it protect themselves while they robbed the dead bodies of plague
victims. After their capture, they confessed the formula and
everyone started using it. The principle ingredient was garlic.
You can use either fresh or dried garlic. Fresh
herbs are better but dried herbs are less trouble. For maintenance,
I recommend feeding one ounce of garlic powder or three to six ounces of fresh
garlic per day. For acute cases, double this dosage. We handle
regular strength Chinese garlic plus a Venetian garlic concentrate that blasts
out your sinuses and a 50-50 blend of the two.
I have developed three herbal blend formulas which would be
likely to benefit this horse. "S'not a Problem" is good for
reducing mucous production in animals with chronic respiratory
conditions. "Lung Distance Runner" is a lung
tonic, which contains natural expectorants and herbs traditionally used to
soothe the tissue of the mucous membranes. It is designed to promote
the overall health of the lungs, allowing them to function more efficiently. “Lung
Distance Runner” includes Chinese Red Jujube Dates, which help the body to
assimilate the other herbs more efficiently.
I would also recommend feeding this horse an ounce a day of
rose hips for two to three months. Rose hips, one of nature’s
richest sources of Vitamin C, help to build the immune system. They
also contain bioflavenoids, which help to heal the fine tissues in the lungs.
My liquid cough syrup blend, "Hack No More", is effective on some
recurring coughs, but it won’t help much if heavy allergies are involved. If
you suspect allergies, talk to your vet about having the horse tested. You
can also watch to see if there is any pattern in what the animal is eating and
breathing just before the symptoms get bad.
If the problem is acute, you can use the old practice of
letting the animal breathe Coltsfoot smoke. In my experience, horses
like the smell, and smoke is one of the best ways to get the active natural
ingredients to the surface of the lungs where the problem is most acute.
To do this, wad an ounce of Coltsfoot into a ball , place
the ball in an ashtray and light one side of it. Blow out the flames
and the ball will smolder. Pass the smoldering ball under the
horse’s nostrils a comfortable distance away. Be calm and move slowly,
letting the horse decide how much smoke it wants to inhale.
Coltsfoot is an excellent herb, but it must be used with
care. Excessive amounts over long periods do not increase benefits
and may cause problems. I don’t recommend smoking a horse more than
once a day for five days in a row.
I blend small amounts of Coltsfoot into “Lung Distance
Runner” and “S’not a Problem.” It helps to soothe and heal the
lungs. Always check with an experienced herbalist before feeding an
animal straight Coltsfoot.
Ginger is another herb benefits the body in a number of
ways. It helps keep the immune system and the digestive system
working at peak performance and it helps the body maintain proper levels of
blood sugar. Ginger is also used to suppress arthritis and is
included in “Hack No More.”
To feed it directly, take a piece of fresh root the size of
the end of your thumb from the last knuckle to the tip. Chop it up
and add it to your horse’s feed once a day. Don’t get carried
away. Too much ginger can irritate the lining of the horse’s mouth.
Keep in mind that each horse if different and some
experimenting may be required to develop the best herbal program for a
particular animal. In almost all cases, herbs are easier on the body
than drugs and they work in harmony with the body’s natural healing
mechanisms. This process usually takes time to show full results. You
know your animal better than anyone else, so trust your impressions.
I believe your horse would benefit from the purging and
fasting program described in the book “Herbal Handbook for Farm &
Stable” by Juliette DeBairacli Levy (Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA). This
excellent book describes the veterinary herbal traditions of the European
country folk and the gypsies who have measured their wealth by their horses for
centuries.
Another approach that might help this horse is aromatherapy
which carries the active ingredients of the herbs in vapor form directly to the
lining of the lungs. For this horse I would recommend the essential
oils of Camphor, Eucalyptus, lavender and Pine alone or in combinations.
You can rub a few drops of the essential oil around the
horse’s nostrils, apply the oil to the nose-band or mix it with oil or camphor
oil and rub it on the horse’s chest. For more information about
aroma-therapy, I recommend the book “Complete Aroma-therapy Handbook” by
Susanne Rizzi (Sterin)
Acupuncture can also be very effective for asthma and
respiration problems and works very well in conjunction with other modes of
therapy.
In homeopathic medicine the active ingredients are
administered in vanishingly small doses. Based on my own experience,
I am convinced that it is very effective with horses. If the problem
is caused by an allergy, it should be helped by giving Antimonium Tartaricum,
30cc, beginning at the onset of symptoms.
If the condition starts out with a fever, try Belladona, one
ml. Never feed a horse straight Belladonna as it is poisonous. Homeopathic
Belladonna is too diluted to be a problem. I recommend the book “The
Treatment of Horses by Homeopathy,” a no-nonsense guide written by George
MacLeod, a British Veterinarian. (C.W. Daniel, Essex, England.)