Herbal folk remedies for animal health in the Netherlands

Summary

As a part of their training in herbalism 85 students of the two private schools for natural animal care that exist in the Netherlands were given the assignment to ask farmers, pet owners and animal pension keepers about their traditional remedies. This led to 168 case reports in the period 1998-2004. A few reports from IEZ workers were added and all the results have been put in a database to make follow up analyses possible. The animals that were involved were often horses. The plant species involved consisted of 63 genera in 33 families of which 92% were indigenous to, or have been grown in the Netherlands for many years. The most frequently reported plant was Linum usitatissimum, flax seeds. Next in line were Urtica urens/dioica (nettles) and Allium sativum (garlic). All three were used for several different health conditions in several species of animals. Besides traditional internal and external herbal remedies there was use of beer, gin, tobacco, vinegar, and the hanging of branches in stables.