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herb blurb Herbs for Your Horse’s Digestive Health C


ontemporary horse housing and feeding practices, includ- ing modern diets high in grains,


carbohydrates, sugars and additives, com- bined with the pressures of our modern schedules, place added stress on our horses’ natural process of digestion and food consumption. This can lead to dishar- mony and disease.


Fortunately, we can help our horses main- tain optimum digestion and cope with the stresses of modern life by utilizing Tra- ditional Chinese Medicine’s (TCM) many tools, one of which is herbal supplements.


From the TCM perspective, there are five governing elements: earth, metal, water, wood and fire, with each organ system falling into one of five elemental classifications: • respiratory relates to metal • circulatory relates to fire • tendons, ligaments and hooves relate to wood


• kidney function relates to water


By Gloria Garland L.Ac, Dipl. Ac. & CH. • digestive organs relate to earth


Central to this philosophy is the concept of a robust spleen and stomach. The earth element is responsible for processing and transformation of food, water, minerals, vitamins and herbs we and our horses consume. Irregular eating habits, improp- er foods -- either too rich or inadequate -- deprive the body of qi, injure the earth element and lead directly to disease.


A horse with a weakened earth element can manifest in any number of ways: ulcers, poor physical development, chronic colic or diarrhea, reduced immunity, declining condition in old age, poor muscle develop- ment or wasting. Many experts feel that several of the difficult-to-treat diseases like EPM originate from leaky gut syndrome, and equine ulcers have origins in irregular feed- ing habits.


The following Chinese herbs are an ideal addition to your horse’s feeding program. I recommend equal parts of these herbs, powdered and fed several times per week


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with... √ Chondroitin


with...


√ Glucosamine √ Glutamine


√ Curcumin √ Oatinol √ MSM MSM


Glucosamine Chondroitin Glutamine Curcumin Oatinol TM


JointAid4Horses.com Alanna Boulton and “Just Pretend”


Holistic Horse™ • October/November 2010 under the guidance of Signature Show Horses 4 by Grizzly Pet Products, LLC • Vol.16, Issue 69


for digestive support. One to two table- spoons per day is usually adequate for the 1,000 pound horse.


Shen qu (Massa fermentata) - This enzyme and vitamin B-rich herb facilites the diges- tion of starches and carbohydrates found in high amounts in hay and grain rations.


Mai ya (Fructus hordei germinatus) - This herb protects the stomach and promotes the digestion of starches, especially wheat and rice based products. Mai ya combined withSuan zao ren (Ziziphis jujuba mill) offers support for horses suffering from ulcers. (Caution - avoid use in large doses with lactating mares).


Gu ya (Fructus setariae germinatus) - Also digestive enzyme-rich, it is very good for horses prone to chronic, gas colic as well as for weak or older individuals.


Gloria Garland is a Licensed Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and the author of the Equine Acupressure Therapeutics Workbook Series. Whole Horse Herbs™, her line of herbal formulas, was developed to bring complementary herbal supplements to the equine community. www.wholehorse.com, 559-683-4434


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Healthy4Horses.com www.holistichorse.com | 13


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