Echinacea..let’s dispel an old wives’ tale.

We are often asked about the long term use of Echinacea because of the myth that this herb should not be used for more than 4 to 6 weeks.

There is no reliable or conclusive evidence that it is detrimental to use Echinacea for long periods.(1) This was the opinion of Assoc. Professor Kerry Bone, who has made a lifelong study of the plant. When I last checked he had been taking it for well over 5 years. Long term studies are hard to do on humans but on mice it is much easier.

Another researcher who has published some very useful papers is Dr Sandra Miller. Her study of long term use of Echinacea on mice showed significant benefit.

Here’s a quote from her paper:

“Given that the key immune cells acting as the first line of defence against developing neoplasms in mice and humans are NK cells, it is not difficult to conclude that sustained enhancement of NK cells alone, throughout life, could readily account for the reduced frequency in deaths with advancing age. Spontaneous neoplasms, clinically undetectable, are well known to increase with advancing age in humans and mice. Thus, the logical corollary from this study indicates that chronic daily intake of Echinacea, is clearly not detrimental to the immune system, but rather prophylactic.”(2)

The myth arose through the misinterpretation of a German study which injected Echinacea juice over 5 days.(3) While Echinacea was given, phagocytic (immune system) activity remained higher than controls. Only when the Echinacea was stopped did phagocytic activity decline to normal (pretest) values, demonstrating a typical wash-out effect. The study in fact demonstrated that there is a residual stimulating effect which lasted after Echinacea was stopped.

The myth arose through the misinterpretation of a German study which injected Echinacea juice over 5 days.(3) While Echinacea was given, phagocytic (immune system) activity remained higher than controls. Only when the Echinacea was stopped did phagocytic activity decline to normal (pretest) values, demonstrating a typical wash-out effect. The study in fact demonstrated that there is a residual stimulating effect which lasted after Echinacea was stopped.

There is an even better study in horses. It was carried out in Canada on behalf of Bioniche Animal Health manufacturer of the Echinacea product Echi-Fend.

As you see from the graph below the lymphocyte count was still rising after 42 days thoroughly putting paid to the myth that the effect on the immune system runs out of steam after 2 weeks.

So, if you think your horse (or you) needs Echinacea long term use as you think appropriate. Of course if you have any doubts about your horse’s health seek professional advice.

There is more information on Echinacea at equineherbals.com 

 http://www.equineherbals.com/articles/Echinacea%20under%20the%20Spotlight.html



1 Bone K; Echinacea: When Should it be Used? Modern Phytotherapist Vol 3 No. 3 pp 16-20 (1997)
2 Miller S; Echinacea: A Miracle Herb against Aging and Cancer? Evidence In vivo in Mice. eCAM 2005;2(3)309–314
3 Jurcic, K et al: Zeitschrift fur Phytotherapie 10, 67 (1989)

Prozac for dogs..what's next?

You have to take your hat off to the big pharma companies. They just keep coming up with ideas to make more money. A report has just come out that Prozac is to be marketed to dog owners to help their pets handle the separation anxiety of being left alone all day.

Apart from the obvious welfare issues of leaving dogs alone all day, every day there are gentler things to use. It's only a short way from herbs for horses to dogs but St.John's Wort would be the first thing to look at. It has a better safety profile than the drug and can be made with beef flavour too.

St. John's Wort is a fabulous herb not only for mild to moderate depression but also as a mood enhancer. In horses it is used to help them to cooperate. It is really good for working dogs that get stressed and also to help agility competitors concentrate.

For the full article go to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1252672/A-dogs-life-set-easier-day-pet-Prozac-treat-depression.html

Come and meet James

I am in the UK at the moment giving a series of talks on using herbs on your horses. I will talk generally about herbs and quality issues and answer as many questions as I can. I would love to meet as many people as possible.

My timetable is :

25^th February, 7pm for 7.30pm at Easy Equine, Staples Garden Centre, Fordfield Road, Millbrook, Bedfordshire, MK45 2HZ Tel No 01525 405059. As well as a talk there will be a barbeque, drinks and a sale before and after the talk. For more information contact Nikki on 01525 405059

26^th February, 7pm for 7.30pm at The Millwheel Tack Shop, Rose Cottage Stud, Binfield Road, Binfield, Wokingham, Berks, RG40 5PP For more information contact Sarah on 01344 486059.

10^th March, 7pm at The Shop at Bellingdon, Bellingdon End Farm, Bellingdon, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 2UR. Also there will be Jonathon Nelson from Protexin to talk on Probiotics for the horse. For more information contact Jenny on 01494 758239.

There are a couple more being confirmed and I will post these as soon as possible.

Look forward to seeing you

James

Shepherd's Purse; the midwife's friend.

We have the most fantastic crop of Shepherd's Purse this year. It was just crying out to be harvested.

For anyone acting as mare midwife a supply of tincture made from fresh rather than dry Shepherd's Purse is a must for the first aid kit. Shepherd's Purse; Latin name Capsella bursa-pastoris,
is a common pasture weed belonging to the cabbage family. It is not a commonly used herb because it really only has one specialist use..it stops bleeding, most particularly uterine bleeding, although it works on nose bleeds as well.

When we manufactured herbal extracts for human use we made a modest amount of fresh Shepherd's Purse extract every year for our midwife clients. Now we just make it for ourselves.

Our big black alpha mare is due to foal in a few days and she has had bleeding problems in the past so we need Shepherd's Purse extract on hand. A few years ago she had a fairly serious post partum haemorrhage. She was still bleeding in a steady stream 10 minutes after she finished foaling. We gave her 25 mL of Shepherd’s Purse every fifteen minutes. After two doses the bleeding had reduced significantly and was totally stopped after the third.

As far as I know there is no study to show this but traditionally it is thought best to use fresh plant extract made new every year. You may see some white mould on parts of it. Some herbalists believe it is better with the mould but we have found it just fine either way.

If you would like to know how to make it please contact me on jameshart500 at gmail.com It's really easy and worth the effort.

Visit to UK

Visit to UK

This is a quick note to confirm that I will be visiting the UK in February and March. Anna, our PR lady and Equus Health will be organizing talks and shop open days. Once I have a few dates confirmed I'll publish them here, so please keep an eye on this if you are interested.

I look forward to meeting as many people as possible.

Welcome

Welcome to the Equine Herbalist blog.

A little about us. I am James Hart. Vanessa, my wife and I are both professionally qualified human herbalists with a passion for horses. We have taken our human herbal knowledge and applied it to horses. As herbivores horses have all the right receptors to make good use of the broad spectrum of chemicals locked up in plants...and given the right herbs in sufficient dose they respond really well.

One of the disappointing things about our industry is the lack of disclosure. We have been singing this song for a while and will keep doing so. It is no exaggeration to say that very few companies selling over the counter herbal products for horses actually tell their customers what they are buying. In some instances the companies themselves do not know or refuse to disclose the information. There is no excuse for this.

Herbalists talk about extract strength by looking at the amount of herb extracted into a given volume of liquid. Have a look at http://www.equineherbals.com/manu-standards.html#extractstrength for more information.