Act 1 - Scene 10
Nutritive Herbs

Herbs have for a long time played an important role in the prevention and healing of problems. Herbs have been used for thousands of years with great success and long before pharmaceuticals.

Some herbs are classified as nutritive herbs. What this means to you is that they provide nutrition in addition to aiding the body. I choose to use nutritive herbs because they do two jobs instead of just one. Some herbs are used just for healing.

How have herbs been used with animals before?

Well, the ancient and traditional job done by the mahouts, who are the well respected keepers and drivers of elephants in India, are well known for taking a sick elephant into the forests to allow the elephant to pick its own food/medicine.

The elephants instinctively know which food their bodies need. Elephants are also known to enjoy the herb called gotu kola which is a herb that has a beneficial effect on the brain. We all know that elephants are extremely smart and intelligent animals. In fact, elephants have been known to grab a stick with their trunk and then use the stick to clean between their toe nails!

In years past, even our cattle farmers would take a sick cow into a pasture and let the cow forage for the food/medicine it needs. The cow would eat the herbs its body needed.

We can do the same with our pets. Sure, our pets do not eat herbs as regularly as cattle or elephants, but dogs and cats have been known to search for and eat herbs. Plus, we may as well let our pets take advantage of the benefits and nutrition of herbs.

For general purposes, I have often enjoyed using a combination of four nutritive herbs. Alfalfa which is an Arabic word meaning “mother of all foods” is one of them. In addition, I enjoy dandelion leaf, nettle, and kelp. These herbs can be found in various green food powder supplements from health food stores.

It's possible that you won't be able to find an exact blend with these 4 herbs or perhaps you can. Either way, it doesn't really matter as there are many great herbs that can be used and we'll discuss various options in Appendix A.

For now though, here is some information on these four fabulous herbs as an introduction to the benefits into the benefits of nutritive herbs.

Basic Overview Of These Herbs:

These nutritive herbs provide a blend of vital nutrients that are essential for good health. These herbs provide such nutrients as biotin, bioflavanoids, calcium, magnesium, folic acid, iodine, iron, potassium, linolenic acid, niacin, potash, sulfur, zinc, vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E. These herbs also aid in the assimilation of protein, fats, carbohydrates and are an excellent blood purifier.

As mentioned, I like to use nutritive herbs because they do two jobs. You have just read what nutrition these herbs provide.

Now, we can learn how these herbs aid the body. Basically, in combination, they help liver detoxify, purify the blood, clean the colon and keep the thyroid working. These herbs do general maintenance work. However, to help you learn more specifics ways in which these herbs aid the body, I asked Linda Littley, a certified herbalist to provide me with the following information:

Dandelion Leaf:

Well dandelion, the flower that everyone loves to hate is a clear example of one of Mother Nature’s best combination of nutrition and medicine. Its main influence is upon the liver and is an excellent blood purifier.

Traditionally dandelion leaves have been used for conditions such as eczema, dropsy, anemia, fluid retention, diabetes, jaundice and rheumatism. Dandelion leaves help improve the function of the kidneys, pancreas, spleen, and stomach.

Nettles:

Nettles are what herbalists call a nutritive tonic. A tonic being herbs that restore and strengthen the entire system. Traditionally used for treating anemia, arthritis, hay fever, kidney problems, malabsorption syndrome, inflammatory problems and excess mucous conditions of the lungs.

Nettles have a good source of iodine and thus has been known to be helpful with goiter. Goiter is the enlargement of the thyroid gland which is visible as a swelling of the front of the neck. Goiter reflects that there is an under-active thyroid, also known as, hypo-thyroidism.

Alfalfa:

Another nutritive tonic. It alkalizes, detoxifies, tones, and supports the whole body. Alfalfa balances hormones and promotes pituitary gland function. It contains an anti-fungal agent as well.

Traditionally, alfalfa has been used to treat anemia because it is high in iron; bone and joint disorders; colon and digestive disorders; skin disorders, arthritis and ulcers. Alfalfa is rich in enzymes, chlorophyll and aids digestion. Alfalfa is also said to be helpful for those, including pets, who suffer from diabetes due to its rich source of minerals that help stabilize the blood sugar level.

Kelp:

Kelp is rich in the B vitamin department. In addition, it has an excellent supply of those extremely important trace minerals. Kelp is helpful in the nourishment of the body due to its ability to stimulate metabolism. It is rich in iodine which the thyroid must have to function properly. Kelp also absorbs waste from body fluids.

Kelp is being reported to be very beneficial to brain tissue, the membranes surrounding the brain, the sensory nerves, the spinal chord, as well as nails and blood vessels.

Studies at the Gastrointestinal Research Laboratories of McGill University in Montreal, found a factor called sodium alginate in kelp that binds with radioactive strontium 90 in the intestines and carries it out of the body. This is extremely important to note as this factor aids in the detoxification of the intestines.

Since first writing this information about herbs in 1996, much has changed, improved and/or progressed depending on how you look at things.

Today, there is a really nice green food supplement for pets called PetiGreens which has been formulated by Dr. Swift, DVM.

PetiGreens contains organic wheatgrass juice, organic barley juice, organic oat grass juice and organic alfalfa juice.

As I've already talked about the benefits of alfalfa juice, let's do a quick review of the benefits of the other ingredients.

Wheatgrass juice:

One of the ingredients in wheatgrass is juice is called SOD which stands for "super oxide dismutase". The benefit of super oxide dismutase is that it attacks and destroys those free radicals that you hear about. Few foods contain super oxide dismutase but wheatgrass is one of those foods that do. The benefits are enormous... everything from helping to prevent cancer to helping to improve the health of the kidneys.

The benefits of wheatgrass juice are numerous. Wheatgrass juice helps to cleanse the lymphatic system, strengthen the blood and remove toxic metals from the cells such as mercury and lead. Wheatgrass helps to restore the body's balance by nourishing the liver and kidneys. Wheatgrass has also been reported to be beneficial for such problems as ulcerative colitis. As with all green foods, wheatgrass also contains a lot of chlorophyll.

Barley juice:

Barley grass juice contains plenty of vitamins, minerals and proteins needed for good health. Barley grass juice is also quite high in vitamin C, iron and calcium. It has been reported that barley grass juice helps to restore and repair cells that have been damaged due to age, illness, medications, toxins, etc. Barley grass is another green juice and therefore has many of the same benefits as other green juices.

Oat grass juice:

Oat grass juice is rich in nutrients including amino acids, vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, lecithin, enzymes and so much more. Oat grass, just like the other green foods, will have an overall beneficial affect on the body including helping the body to detoxify, rejuvenate and to gain increased vitality.

Editor's Paw Note:

If you are interested in giving your pets a green food supplement then PetiGreens makes an excellent choice.

When it comes to giving a supplement like kelp, I now like to give Thyro G.O. which is a glandular and organ supplement designed to benefit the thyroid, adrenals and the whole endocrine system in general.

Many pets who have a thyroid problem can avoid thyroid medication by eating a wholesome diet and consuming enough iodine. Therefore, Thyro G.O. helps provide a source of iodine. But additionally, what I like about Thyro G.O. is that it also contains thyroid, adrenals, pituitary, spleen and thymus. These glands then help strengthen the body's thyroid and endocrine system through the use of glandular therapy.

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