Neurological conditions can include epilepsy and other types of convulsions and seizures. In these types of situations it is a good idea to use supportive herbs. Using these gentle herbs can be reassuring to us that we can help our animals in these situations. There are three well respected herbs that are known to help animals with neurological disorders, these include:
- Oat Straw
- Valerian
- Skullcap
Before going ahead and introducing these herbs to your animal with concerns as these, you must speak with your holistic veterinarian or practitioner if they are currently on prescribed anticonvulsants. The herbs mentioned above would need to be given long-term, most likely life long. For this reason it is important to find easy and efficient ways to administer these life saving herbs. Here is some guidance to help achieve this:
- Oat Straw – animals don’t usually have issues with this remedy. This can be given in a water bowl or as a tincture.
- Valerian – A capsule, tincture or glycerite. In powder form, it has a strong odour and may not be a good one to hide in the animal’s food as they can easily detect it. The root part of valerian can have a more sedating effect on some animals, in rare cases it can stimulate some animals. Valerian flowers have a milder effect and can be picked, dried and made into a tincture or glycerite.
- Skullcap – this remedy can be more convenient to use as a tincture, glycerite, capsule or powder. Tea can be made in the proper way with skullcap for your animal. This means instead of pouring freshly boiled water onto the herb as others, let the boiled water sit for 3-5 minutes before pouring it onto the skullcap herb. Allowing the water to cool a bit shows a stronger therapeutic action, meaning we may be losing some active constituents with high heat. Test it out on yourself by making and drinking both ways and see the difference!
With neurological conditions in animals, we can use other herbs that combine calming and sedating properties with antispasmotic herbs. These include:
- Lemon Balm
- Rosemary
- Lavender
- Passionflower
The first three remedies listed above are strong in volatile oils, be sure to balance the dosage out so that you don’t introduce too much into their system, especially for a long period of time.
The holistic approach in helping with neurological conditions is quite promising, and the herbs are just one tool when it comes to holistic health that we can offer our animals.
Consult with a holistic veterinarian or holistic practitioner to direct you in the right direction. If you feel you are in the dark and uncertain, holistic practitioners have the expertise and wisdom to direct you to top quality herbal products for your animal. Do not use any remedies if you are not certain which and how to use them, it is best to work with a practitioner.
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