Its Getting Warmer - Allergies and Itch - Herbs
October 2nd 2007 22:19
Over the next couple of days I'll give some hints on skin and allergies (with these conditions, some respond and other take a lot of effort to peel away to the root cause). The original article was published in Equine Wellness, though you can substitute dog for horse, if you wish.
Allergies and skin conditions are a phone call a therapist often cringes at when they receive it. Each case is so individual and what works on one horse, may have no benefit to the next. As you take on board the information I have to offer, if one approach does not work for you, do not give up on your horse. Allergies and skin conditions are multi layered and sometimes although it may appear your approach is not working, your horse’s body may just be peeling away at an invisible layer, enabling your next level of treatment to be more effective.
The Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary defines an allergy as “an acquired hypersensitivity to a substance (allergen) that does not normally cause a reaction. It is essentially a disorder of the immune system resulting in an antibody-antigen reaction; manifestations most commonly involve the respiratory tract or the skin.”
An allergen can include pollen, dust, feathers, drugs, insect bites and feedstuffs, so your first line of defence is to eliminate what you suspect may be causing your horse’s allergy. If the allergens cannot be avoided, then your veterinarian may suggest antihistamines or corticosteroids, which can give temporary relief, but in the long term you do need to address your horse’s immune and elimination systems, which can be done with natural therapies.
Herbs for the inside and outside
Your horse’s first line of defence is the liver, so any protocol would include supporting this gland. If you suspect there is a toxicity or poison present in the body, helping the liver ‘detoxify’ is primary and two of my favourite herbs for doing this are Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). Milk Thistle helps cleanse the liver, assists with the regeneration of liver cells and protects these cells against the action of liver poisons. Rosemary would be included in a second phase of treatment as it is a complete herbal antioxidant, will continue cleansing the liver and is also hepatoprotective.
Most skin issues from a naturopathic perspective reflect an inhibition of one of the other major elimination organs. As discussed, the primary one to address is the liver, but consideration should also be given to kidneys, digestive system and respiratory tract.
If there are breathing difficulties or the presence of catarrh, your horse could benefit supporting his immune system. My preferred species is Echinacea angustifolia in either its powdered root or liquid extract form. I find I can give these forms long term effectively, whereas the dried leaf does not seem to maintain its potency or efficacy as well and is better suited to short term use. As we have begun to cleanse the body with our liver herbs, Echinacea can then fight off secondary infections and assist your horse to rebuild his immune defences to the allergens; it is traditionally used as a blood cleanser and purifier, therefore supportive of our other herbs.
The lungs lead us to the digestive system. If your horse has a runny nose or gluggy ears in response to the allergens, it could be an indicator of an internal reaction to feedstuffs. In order to help address this, my favourite herb is marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis) and I prefer the powdered herb in this situation. In severe cases, pasting your horse with one or two tablespoons before feeding, or in milder cases simply adding and mixing into a wet feed, you can have a reflex action on these outer clinical signs by addressing the gut. By addressing the gut in this way, you can also sooth dry and pruritic skin conditions by soothing the mucosal layer of the digestive tract. Another indicator that your horse’s stomach may need assistance is if the flies aggregate around his eyes. In Chinese medicine, the eyes are closely linked to the stomach.
If your horse’s urine is irregular, his sweat patters vary, or your horse has sensitive ears, you may find his allergic conditions respond well to flushing the kidneys. A gentle yet very potent approach to this is adding some freshly picked parsley (Petroselinum crispum), a nice handful each day, to his feed for about a month. You can use the dried leaf as well; in this case usually one or two heaped tablespoons are sufficient. Parsley can also be calming on the nervous system while being a carminative (relieves gas) and digestive tonic, supporting the use of marshmallow root.
You may have observed as I work my way through the body’s elimination processes, that the herbs I have selected overlap in their functions across each of these body systems. Therefore as you assist your horse through the various stages of his “line of cure”, your emphasis may shift between any of these systems. You can vary and substitute herbs to further individualise your approach; any bitters including burdock or dandelion root will replace my liver suggestions; immune support such as astragalus or olive leaf could continue on from echinacea; slippery elm or plantain could continue addressing the gut; and mullein or elecampane may help the respiratory tract. Parsley can easily be substituted with dandelion leaf.
It is also important to remember the nervous system of a horse that has suffered a chronic allergic condition. This sort of condition can be wearing on the Soul, and after a while they may become agitated and irritable by the constant physical irritation. Parsley may assist as it can be very calming to several body systems. Any of the calming herbs such as sweet flag, lemon balm or chamomile could be employed with the same intention.
Topically you have a wide selection of herbs and essential oils. Calendula (Calendula officinalis), sometimes known as Pot Marigold, is an effective local tissue healer applied in a cream, balm or infused oil to itchy skin. It can also be used internally to help the body’s inflammatory response come back into balance.
Once your horse’s body has begun the process of elimination, you can then continue further by supporting him nutritionally. Rosehips (Rosa canina) are an inexpensive additive to any feed and is high in flavonoids which nourish the skin while assisting our previous herbs with addressing mild infections and soothing gastric inflammation. Clivers or Cleavers (Galium aparine) contain high amounts of silica to support the skin, is a very effective lymphatic cleanser and remedy for skin eruptions, especially where associated with tissue oedema.
©Catherine Bird
Phoebe - Not Itching
Allergies and skin conditions are a phone call a therapist often cringes at when they receive it. Each case is so individual and what works on one horse, may have no benefit to the next. As you take on board the information I have to offer, if one approach does not work for you, do not give up on your horse. Allergies and skin conditions are multi layered and sometimes although it may appear your approach is not working, your horse’s body may just be peeling away at an invisible layer, enabling your next level of treatment to be more effective.
The Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary defines an allergy as “an acquired hypersensitivity to a substance (allergen) that does not normally cause a reaction. It is essentially a disorder of the immune system resulting in an antibody-antigen reaction; manifestations most commonly involve the respiratory tract or the skin.”
An allergen can include pollen, dust, feathers, drugs, insect bites and feedstuffs, so your first line of defence is to eliminate what you suspect may be causing your horse’s allergy. If the allergens cannot be avoided, then your veterinarian may suggest antihistamines or corticosteroids, which can give temporary relief, but in the long term you do need to address your horse’s immune and elimination systems, which can be done with natural therapies.
Herbs for the inside and outside
Your horse’s first line of defence is the liver, so any protocol would include supporting this gland. If you suspect there is a toxicity or poison present in the body, helping the liver ‘detoxify’ is primary and two of my favourite herbs for doing this are Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). Milk Thistle helps cleanse the liver, assists with the regeneration of liver cells and protects these cells against the action of liver poisons. Rosemary would be included in a second phase of treatment as it is a complete herbal antioxidant, will continue cleansing the liver and is also hepatoprotective.
Most skin issues from a naturopathic perspective reflect an inhibition of one of the other major elimination organs. As discussed, the primary one to address is the liver, but consideration should also be given to kidneys, digestive system and respiratory tract.
If there are breathing difficulties or the presence of catarrh, your horse could benefit supporting his immune system. My preferred species is Echinacea angustifolia in either its powdered root or liquid extract form. I find I can give these forms long term effectively, whereas the dried leaf does not seem to maintain its potency or efficacy as well and is better suited to short term use. As we have begun to cleanse the body with our liver herbs, Echinacea can then fight off secondary infections and assist your horse to rebuild his immune defences to the allergens; it is traditionally used as a blood cleanser and purifier, therefore supportive of our other herbs.
The lungs lead us to the digestive system. If your horse has a runny nose or gluggy ears in response to the allergens, it could be an indicator of an internal reaction to feedstuffs. In order to help address this, my favourite herb is marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis) and I prefer the powdered herb in this situation. In severe cases, pasting your horse with one or two tablespoons before feeding, or in milder cases simply adding and mixing into a wet feed, you can have a reflex action on these outer clinical signs by addressing the gut. By addressing the gut in this way, you can also sooth dry and pruritic skin conditions by soothing the mucosal layer of the digestive tract. Another indicator that your horse’s stomach may need assistance is if the flies aggregate around his eyes. In Chinese medicine, the eyes are closely linked to the stomach.
If your horse’s urine is irregular, his sweat patters vary, or your horse has sensitive ears, you may find his allergic conditions respond well to flushing the kidneys. A gentle yet very potent approach to this is adding some freshly picked parsley (Petroselinum crispum), a nice handful each day, to his feed for about a month. You can use the dried leaf as well; in this case usually one or two heaped tablespoons are sufficient. Parsley can also be calming on the nervous system while being a carminative (relieves gas) and digestive tonic, supporting the use of marshmallow root.
You may have observed as I work my way through the body’s elimination processes, that the herbs I have selected overlap in their functions across each of these body systems. Therefore as you assist your horse through the various stages of his “line of cure”, your emphasis may shift between any of these systems. You can vary and substitute herbs to further individualise your approach; any bitters including burdock or dandelion root will replace my liver suggestions; immune support such as astragalus or olive leaf could continue on from echinacea; slippery elm or plantain could continue addressing the gut; and mullein or elecampane may help the respiratory tract. Parsley can easily be substituted with dandelion leaf.
It is also important to remember the nervous system of a horse that has suffered a chronic allergic condition. This sort of condition can be wearing on the Soul, and after a while they may become agitated and irritable by the constant physical irritation. Parsley may assist as it can be very calming to several body systems. Any of the calming herbs such as sweet flag, lemon balm or chamomile could be employed with the same intention.
Topically you have a wide selection of herbs and essential oils. Calendula (Calendula officinalis), sometimes known as Pot Marigold, is an effective local tissue healer applied in a cream, balm or infused oil to itchy skin. It can also be used internally to help the body’s inflammatory response come back into balance.
Once your horse’s body has begun the process of elimination, you can then continue further by supporting him nutritionally. Rosehips (Rosa canina) are an inexpensive additive to any feed and is high in flavonoids which nourish the skin while assisting our previous herbs with addressing mild infections and soothing gastric inflammation. Clivers or Cleavers (Galium aparine) contain high amounts of silica to support the skin, is a very effective lymphatic cleanser and remedy for skin eruptions, especially where associated with tissue oedema.
©Catherine Bird
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