Medicinal Plants and Herbs

by Jeremy James
Today, some 80% of the world’s population still depend upon traditional methods of medicine for cures and for prophylactic treatment. Many of these are unknown to modern science and many untested but in many cases have been observed over centuries to be effective and in any event are, in the absence of anything else, all that exists.
Complex chemical compounds found in plants aid the synergistic effect of a healing process, which cannot be repeated by synthesised materials
Equally, many de-worming drugs today create resistance problems with nematodes in horses and of the 5 families of drugs in common use, only one remains without large resistance problems. To be considered also are the knock-on side effects to the environment of certain types of drugs (ivermectin anthelmintic kill dung beetles dependent upon fly larvae in dung for their life cycle: by killing the beetle an increase in fly population follows).

There remains good reason to depend upon medicinal plants and herbs for treatment and prevention of illnesses, and much research needs to be done.

Why not give add your remedy to this page, tell us why you have found this or that plant to be effective and what evidence your recommendations are based upon.

The plants described below represent a small selection of plants observed to have been used by various groups around the world. It is not a definitive list, and does not claim absolute efficacy, nor does it submit the use of plants and herbs in place of modern anthelmintics. They are those found to have had effect and in some cases, remain untested by science.

Use of Medicinal Plants and Herbs

Potency of plants varies from location to location and from season to season. It also depends upon when they are picked, whether fresh or dried, what parts are used and or how they are used. The underlying principle is that the effect of medicinal plants and herbs is not an event, it is a process. Moreover care must be taken when using medicinal herbs and plants, since many are potent and it is to be remembered that they contain powerful combinations of chemicals. Their chemistry is complex and in the case of vermifuges, some are toxic. Dosage levels remain difficult to assess since individual animals will react individually to individual plants. Neither is it true to claim that an animal knows best or knows what it needs since an animal will readily graze a plant that will kill it.

Some medicinal plants in use around the world today

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Insecticide and vermifuge. Active principle: linalool, bareine, camphor, cineaole (keytones) methylchavicol, eugenol, ocimene, pinene, and tepenes.

Citronella (Cymbpogon nardus).
A grass: naturally occurring parasiticide. active principle oil of citronella, citronellic acid, borneol, geraniol, nerol alcohols, camphene, limonene.

Derris (D.eeliptica and malaccense)
Highly effective for removal of ecto parasites. Active principal rotenone. Root is dried to form a powder.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globus)
Insecticide and vermifuge. Actice principle: citronellol (Aldehyde), cineole (Ketone) Camphene, Fenchene, Phellandrene, Pinene (Terpenes). Also leaves can be used in bedding to repel insects or dried ground leaves steeped in water can used as a coat wash as an insect repellent.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)
Vermifuge. Active principle – mucilage (galactomannanes), steroidal saponin, choline, fatty oil.

Fern (Aspidium felix mas, or Nephridium felix mas, Filices)
Effective against tapeworm. Active principle: tannin, mucilage, gallic acid, capillarine: bitter substances of unknown composition.

Gardenia (Gardenia gordonii and jasmminoides)
Believed to contain insecticidal agents. No data.

Garlic (Allium sativum)
Contains anti-biotic substances. Effective against heavy worm burdens. Can be used as a prophylactic vermifuge, made into a ball with molasses and bran. Active principles: alliin, allicin, essential oil, silicic acid, vitamins A,B,C.

Kosso (Hagenia abyssinica)
Botanical: Hagenia Abyssinica. Brayera anthelmintica (KUNTH.)
Family: N.O. Rosaceae. Parts Used: Herb, unripe fruit, and the dried panicles of the pistillate flowers.
Habitat: North-Eastern Africa, and cultivated in Abyssinia; official in United States of America.
Constituents---A volatile oil, a bitter acrid resin, tannic acid, and a bitter principle called A Kosin and B Kosin, which is found in Kousso, but thought to be decomposition products. The principle constituent of Kousso is Koso-toxin, a yellow amorphous body, possibly closely allied to filicia acid, and Rottlerin; other inactive colourless bodies are crystalline Protokosin and Kosidin.
Medicinal Action and Uses---Purgative and anthelmintic. One dose is said to be effective in destroying both kinds of tapeworms, the taenia solium and bothriocephalus latus; but as it possesses little cathartic power the subsequent administration of a purgative is generally necessary to bring away the destroyed ectozoon.

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
Vermifuge active against Oxyuris. Active principle: essential oil rich in cineol and a bitter.

Neem (Azadirachta indica)
Contains a wide range of naturally occurring insecticides and insect repellents. All parts of the tree are biologically active. Maximum insecticidal activity in seed kernel. These include repellent, feeding and ovipository deterrent, growth regulatory and sterilant effects (of parasites). Neem has been reported to have shown nematicidal and fingitoxic activities. Powdered leaf is used both as a vermifuge and in stored grain to repel borer beetle. Active principle: azadirachtin (affecting growth, development, behaviour, reproduction and metamorphosis in diverse insect taxa).

Pine (Pinus caribea)
Can be used externally as embrocation. Antiseptic. Active principles: oleo-resin distillate, turpentine acts as a powerful vermifuge when used pure but needs to be administered carefully owing to its pungent nature.

Pomegranite (Punica granatum)
Rind used as vermifuge against tapeworm. Containing medicinal properties in its bark and flesh. Active principle: balustrine.

Pyrethrum (Tanacetum vulgare)
Kills worms and stimulates stomach functions. Active principle tanacetine, glycoside, resins.

Tobacco ( Nicotiniana tabacum)
Can be used externally as a wash or fed as a vermifuge. Active principle: nicotine.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Doedorant and to some extent insect repellent when used externally. Acts as vermifuge in lager quantities active against Acaris and Oxyuris. Active principle: 2.5% essential oil (Ol. Thymi) consisting of Thymol (40%), carvacrol, cymol, borneol, linalool and tannin in addition to antibiotic and bitter compounds.

Wormwood or Wormseed, Levant (Artemisia cina)
Family: N.O. Compositae Artemisia maritima, var. pauciflora. Artemesia Chamaemelifolia.
Part Used---Seeds. Action: anthelmintic. The drug exhales when crushed an agreeable aromatic odour, and possesses a bitter, aromatic camphoraceous taste. Active principle: chief constituent is a crystalline principle, Santonin, to which the anthelmintic property of the drug is due.

Ethno-Veterinary or Traditional Systems

Common to stock-keepers all over the world will be a variety of methods that they have used historically as ways for the control of pests or disease. Some of these are more effective than others and by and large, will vary from climatic zone to climatic zone and from country to country. In any event, they will have been all there was to use and even today, with the advent of the discovery of powerful drugs to help contain, control or remedy diseases some methods are still widely practised.

There are a vast number of ethno-veterinary remedies available throughout the world and it is up to the individual dealing in whatever country they are to have the good sense to enquire as to what has been used for what in the past and then make an intelligent assessment - in the absence of proper scientific trial – to either use or abandon the plant, substance or material of whatever has been suggested for which particular purpose.

There are those of proven value however, which are cheap, easy to use and usually readily available. Such examples would be:

NB. "Animals get better 90% of the time despite what you do, rather than because of what you do." …. And it is often better to have an owner using any treatment every day because it at least means the animal will be attended and the wound be cleaned rather than being left alone and becoming infected. Wounds to skin on the extremities, over bone and tendon are often best left alone: copious water application will actually cause granulation tissue [proud flesh] to develop. In these cases, things like sugar are better.

Anhydrosis, Dehydrosis and Heat Stroke

Disease	Symptom	Cause	Treatment
Anhydrosis	Increasing inability to sweat, hair loss on face and flanks, panting poor appetite, loss of coindition	Failure to offer water. Unknown: probable over-stimulation of sweat glands by high levels of adrenaline present in working horses in tropical conditions	Non-specific: electrolyte therapy may help. Do not offer horses with salted water because they will refuse it. Try feeding destined dates or rubbing sugar into gums until the tongue starts working.
Dehydration, common to all horses overworked in hot countries	Dull, depressed attitude, sunken eyes, and dry tight skin.	Failure to offer water. Loss of fluids through sweating and overwork.	Offer water and where there is a vet present re-hydrate intravenously in serious cases. The golden rule is: if the gut works use it. Offer water, rub sugar into gums. Offer dates.
Heat Stroke, common to horses working too long in hot climates or left standing in direct sunlight.	Rapid respiration, high pulse rate, high temperature. Red mucous membranes and unwillingness to move; heartbeat becomes chaotic, muscles twitch, collapse and death follows unless treated immediately.	Failure to offer water. Too long at work. Standing in sunlight. Incompetent handling. Animal becomes unable to dissipate heat through the body.	Cool by running cool water all overt the animal. Stand in shade, preferably where there is a fan or light breeze. Offer water, dates, sugary liquid.