Healing Herbalism

More and more pet owners are now resorting to herbal treatment for some common ailments. Dr. Pandey informs how herbalism works and its benefits.
Since the past few years, herbalism is gaining importance as an “alternative system of medicine that applies the medicinal values of plants for the maintenance of health.” Herbalism, the holistic approach of treatment, identifies and treats the root cause rather than only the symptoms. This probably gives it an edge in the present day pet health care since both vets and pet owners lay emphasis on the permanent cure of disease rather than temporary suppression of symptoms. Herbal remedies are better suited for the ailments connected to skin, digestive, liver, kidney and immune functions making them complimentary to synthetic medicines.
What makes herbalism unique is its basic principle of disease management that is very different from the synthetic medicines.
Pro-host approach–Rather than killing the infection, herbalism talks about improving the fighting capacity of the body and its various systems to uproot the infection. Herbal remedies thus control infection without any stress to the body organ/system.
Holistic approach–Rather than only controlling the infection, herbalism focuses on treating the disease in totality. Disease is an outcome of compromise in body functions complicated by the presence of disease causing organisms. Thus a rational therapy should combine improvement of the organ functions along with the control of infection.
Poly herbal approach–Herbal remedy is a combination of multiple herbs. This provides multiple benefits, synergistic effect and neutralises the undesirable effect, if any. Common pet ailments Skin health?–?Skin problems originate because of suppression of skin health. Several herbal oils like Cedrus deodara, Azadirachta indica, Eucalyptus globulus, Pongamia glabra, Acorus calamus provide positive effect on skin health, apart from having anti-microbial action.
Digestive health–Any digestive problem alters the intestinal functions. Herbs like Berberis aristata, Acacia catechu, Plantago ovata, Aegle marmelos kill the infection involved during these disorders to improve the intestinal functions. Herbal remedies also take care of malabsorption syndrome that is often encountered as a sequel to digestive disorder.
Liver health–Liver health is compromised due to sluggish activity of liver cells. Herbs like Phyllanthus niruri, Boerrhavia diffusa, Emblica officinale are known to have an excellent liver cell rejuvenation effect.
Immune health–Good immune status keeps the pet away from infections. Herbs like Withania somnifera, Ocimum sanctum, Mangifera indica, Phyllanthus emblica have well documented and scientifically proven immunomodulatory action.

Myths about herbalism

Safety–It’s not true that all the herbal formulations are safe. Herbs can be contaminated with various infectious agents, toxic compounds or can even be poisonous. The right selection, quality assurance and processing can only assure safety.
Un-scientific approach–Often it is believed that the herbal remedies are unscientific in terms of product efficacy testing. The companies dedicated to herbal research have suitably addressed this challenge. Today’s herbal remedies are screened and tested as per scientific protocol.

Herbal remedies for pets Quality assured herbal medicines provide?:

Tonic action–Herbal remedies are better suited as health tonics since they influence the functioning of vital organs : liver, kidney, heart, skin and immune system. The prophylactic use of herbal remedies will ensure perfect health status. Unmatched safety?–?Herbal remedies are safe for use in any stage of pet’s life.
Freedom from adverse affect–Herbal remedies does not result in adverse affects in the process of treating the disease.
Freedom from the disease recurrence –Due to its approach of treating the root cause, use of herbal remedies prevents relapse. Eco-friendly–Herbal ingredients are non-hazardous to user, pet and environment.
Effective first aid therapy– Because of safety, efficacy, affordability and broad spectrum of activity, herbal remedies can serve to be an effective first-aid therapy.
(Dr. S.K. Pandey, M.V. Sc. (Medicine) is the Marketing Manager with Ayurvet Ltd., a company specialising in herbal formulations. He can be contacted at : 9811299055.)