“Medicine Cookies” Another quick entry! I promised to share this recipe earlier today, on Facebook; I frequently refer to  the “medicine cookies” I make for Danny and a few folks have asked for the recipe. I’m happy to share, as this is more a method than a recipe and you can use it in a […]

As I sit down to write this, it is the day we set our clocks forward “for spring” and I am gazing out my ground floor window at snow that comes higher than my ledge, and more coming down. It is hardly springtime in my part of the world – yet! but I am thinking […]

Astragalus  (Astragalus membranaceus) Family: Fabaceae (legume family) Part used: root The roots are harvested from three- or four-year-old plants for maximum potency and sliced thinly. Once dry, they look like cream-colored tongue depressors. Also available in powder, glycerite and alcohol tinctures Constituents: Flavonoids, saponin glycosides (astragalosides), polysaccharides, amino acids, essential fatty acids and trace minerals […]

With all the fires raging across California, and smoke thick over the whole area but also moving Eastward across the continent, the herbal world is filled with ideas to support humans exposed to the bad air…but what about our animals? I’d like to address every species, but this entry will at least talk about dogs, […]

This is one of those “by request” posts – since the whole topic of energetics has been tossed around so much lately in the natural health world, and there is a bit of popular confusion, I hope to be able to help sort some of it out. Plus, it’s a favorite topic of mine, much […]

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita, Chamaemelum nobile) Family: Asteraceae Parts Used: Flowers, fresh or dried Actions: antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, relaxing nervine, carminative, stomachic, antiemetic, vulnerary, diaphoretic, mild antimicrobial, aromatic, bitter tonic Energetics: bitter, pungent, neutral-to-cool, slightly dry Indications: Digestive Conditions -Gastrointestinal discomfort, flatulence, dyspepsia, loss of appetite, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, gastritis, diarrhea. Nervous Conditions – chamomile is useful […]

Last week on my Page (Facebook) I had promised a couple of new recipes, and then alas, life, work and all that jazz simply got in the way. So I promised to share a recipe, an existing one from my (hopefully) forthcoming ebooklet…this is one I make and use with my own dogs all the […]

Today is a typical weekday here at my house- parrot is screaming, three senior dogs snoring away after breakfast, exercise and playtime; cats – well, all cats sleeping as they all do every day. I’m at my desk, working with clients, answering emails, getting some class material ready for the Tutorial group meeting in a […]

Those of you who follow my Page on Facebook might’ve seen today, my post about finding the herbal  solution for my dog Amara’s rather challenging issue – and finding it by using one herb , which I had selected as a test, a diagnostic, but that turned out to be all we appear to need […]

Yesterday, a member of my Facebook group asked a simple question, and it prompted this post. In keeping with my commitment to adding shorter but still detailed articles, I thought I’d elaborate my answer here for those who need it. And since digestive issues in dogs are so common, that may mean, any of you. […]

Over the past week I have had a flood of emails asking about calendula, a wonderful and easy-to-grow herb that I utilize in many ways, for both topical and internal issues, for humans, canines, and other species.. The biggest question in my Inbox right now- is it safe? And the answer is yes, it’s a […]

  Rescued animals of all species, ages, and backgrounds can present with a range of physical and emotional issues –which are very often, if not always obviously, deeply connected. Some of these problems are apparent immediately, while others will emerge over time. To what extent  they will pose a challenge to the guardian, depends on […]

Something I hear an awful lot of, in my work as a herbalist for humans as well as other species, is the simple lament that “herbs don’t work”. Sometimes expressed with chagrin, other times with dismissal, it’s a familiar refrain to me and for many of my herbal colleagues as well. The jist of the […]

Using Herbs Wisely Today I want to share a little general wisdom about herbs; their strengths and proper applications for animals, and how readers who are interested in herbs, can sort through the ocean of information (and misinformation) regarding their use. Some of the things I see online and hear from members of my Facebook […]

Herb – Yarrow Achillea millefolium Continuing the series with a wonderful “old standby” herb, but again one I feel is underused in animal herbalism – yarrow! This is a common “weed” that grows everywhere, so one virtue is availability, for sure. An important herb in human herbal medicine, I make much use of it with […]

Herbal medicine has seen a great increase in popularity of late, and this includes herbs for companion animals. With millions of petlovers concerned about the safety and wisdom of using dehydrated commercial foods for dogs and cats, along with a greater awareness of the dangers of environmental toxins, over-vaccination and excessive use of veterinary drugs, […]

Reprinted from Plant Healer Magazine – link at bottom For those of us who love and work with animals, few things are as gratifying to see as a happy, well cared for elderly companion – dog, cat, horse, goat, ferret …a life well-lived, the result of good genes and most often, high quality care from […]

A bit of a pet peeve of mine (and many other herbalists I know) is the recent trend in herbal “information” in popular magazines and online sites and blogs. The trend looks fairly innocuous at first glance, to the non-herbalist anyway – what could be wrong with a page of quick and easy information on herbs, […]

Spring, though rather late, has finally arrived this year and many of my friends are considering a “detox” or spring tonic, which usually consists of some kind of  restricted eating, perhaps even a semi-fast, and herbs to refresh and restore after a long winter. The spring tonic is a time – honoured tradition of helping […]

In the Animal Herbalism course, we are talking right now about developing a working group of herbs we use regularly for dog and cat care, to address the minor issues our four legged friends regularly present us with. I’ve suggested students grow the herbs whenever they can, some or all of them – wildcraft if […]

A quick post tonight to bring some badly needed information to the dog lovers who read this blog; if you’ve read anywhere that Grapefruit Seed Extract is a good, safe, “natural” product to use with your dogs, think again. First a rundown on what people use GSE for.  It’s been promoted chiefly as an antimicrobial […]

In response to queries from my students, as well as members of various groups I frequent, today I am starting a series on that all-important foundation of the herbalist’s toolkit; understanding herbal actions.  A few entries back I discussed the difference between using herbs in a home-remedy kind of fashion – perfectly good and wonderful […]

This is a reprint of an article I did for Plant Healer Magazine some time back. I am offering it here today as I go about setting up the course and enrolling students – it speaks to the very heart of my work and why I feel that – far from a trivial indulgence of […]

This is a topic that has come up many, many times on all the groups and lists I’ve been part of over the past decade; how can we use herbs to help our nervous, hyperactive, thunderphobic, stressed out dogs? I’ve written a fair bit here, and elsewhere, on how to adjust diet, use supplements, TTouch, DAP […]

In my work with animals I am often asked what herbs people should get for a “start-up” kit – not exactly First Aid, which entails specific items for emergencies, but a general kind of “what herbs (and in which form) should I buy or make to get going with helping animals”?  So, in this article […]

…and wonderful for multiple other purposes as well. I mentioned in the last entry that along with foods and supplements, some herbs can assist the body in coping with an upswing in radiation exposure, or simply deal with the everyday levels we and our dogs receive through Xrays, computers, microwave ovens and  energy-saving lightbulbs. In […]

This is always difficult, but every blog seems to need one.  My top ten herbs for dogs, unlike my top ten for humans, is pretty static – these are the alltime necessities, the must-have, can’t-live-without tinctures, fresh and dried plants, powders and extracts I use all the time, most of the time. I’m going to […]

Milk thistle has become, over the last decade, one of the most commonly used herbs in natural veterinary medicine, addressing a whole host of issues most often related to active liver disease, or in hopes of slowing the likelihood of liver problems associated with longterm use of phenobarbitol in epileptic dogs. For humans too, milk […]