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Herbal Medicine Fact Sheet by Les Rees
Arthritis
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Arthritis is a disease affecting the joints thought to be brought on mostly by injuries. The symptoms are swollen joints that become hot and painful making movement restricted causing lameness. The inflammatory process is centered on the joints often causing a rise in temperature, accelerated respirations and sweating. These symptoms can either subside or get worse to the extent that the swelling breaks releasing inflammatory exudates and synovial fluid. In the former instance some of the fluid is reabsorbed but the body is unable to complete the job properly leaving the excess around the joint making it stiff and painful with a potential to become a chronic condition causing cartilage degeneration.
Herbal medicine addresses this by using herbs to aid the removal of metabolic waste via the movement of blood around the body which is cleansed by the liver and subsequently excreted. In order to do this, other herbs are used to aid the circulatory system by strengthening the pumping action of the heart to enable a strong blood flow around the body whilst other herbs address digestive, urinary, hepatic and lymphatic function. Also included are herbs that address tissue regeneration, inflammation and associated pain.
Prevention is better than cure: When a horse suffers trauma or injury involving the skeletal system it is a potential site for arthritic degeneration later in life if not treated at the time of occurrence. Therefore it makes sense to use preventative measures to aid the body in the complete removal of waste products at the time of injury giving the body a fair chance of complete recovery.
In some cases if caught early enough, arthritis can be cured by natural diet and herbal medication, but in acute cases it helps allay the process of further degeneration, enables increased mobility and reduces pain.
Tendons and Ligaments
Massage oils consisting of Raw Linseed oil, Comfrey Oil and, Arnica if the skin is unbroken, otherwise use witch hazel can be used for damaged ligaments along with herbal detoxification, tissue regeneration, inflammation and pain management medication.
Feeding for the prevention and treatment of arthritis
- Dolomite - High calcium & magnesium which aids absorption in the gut.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - High in potassium.
- Garlic - High in sulphur, copper, selenium, chromium. Natures antibiotic, also good for making blood less palatable to insects and as a wormer making the gut less attractive to attaching worms.
- Chamomile - Actions include nervine, digestive, anti-arthritic, anti-spasmodic, calminitive.
- Rock Salt - Looks like pink quartz consisting of sodium in its natural form. Horses should have continual access to it to enable adequate intake as required.
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