Ethnoveterinary Medicine - can you help?

[William Milliken]

Elder was traditionally used as a medicine to treat foot-rot in cattle (Norfolk), Yarrow to treat red-water fever in cattle (Caernarvonshire), and Foxglove to treat mange or fleas in dogs (Gloucestershire). Plants have been used for thousands of years in the British Isles to treat animals, or as feeds to improve their health. This information was passed from one generation to the next, and often wasn't written down.

How much of this knowledge remains in the population?

The Ethnoveterinary Medicine Project, established by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, aims to collect the remaining information before it is lost: an important part of the traditional rural culture. However, this knowledge could also be used practically in animal management (livestock, pets), to improve their health and the economy. If you have any information about ethnoveterinary medicines, feed supplements or other information relating to plants/fungi and animal health from the British Isles, please send an email to [email protected]. Or reply directly on Farming Forum. Thank you.

 

[Coximus]

You'll get some info on the net but really you need to get out to the farms run by the last of the older generation who still remember these as day to day even if from their childhood.... They don't use the Internet often and they're getting on... My neighbour a case in person. Will be 90 next year and always talks about oak bark for bloat and worms among other things, but he has never used a computer..... Or left Yorkshire.... Nad hasn't been to the. City 10 med away for 40 years because he doenst like people or traffic..... Get yourself to the livestock markets up north.

 

[Bootneck]

A strong solution of walnut leaves and or husks in water to keep flies away from cattle and horses

And hang a holly bush (can’t remember male or female) in the winter cowshed to keep ringworm at bay. Don’t know if it works !

 

[primmiemoo]

Oak bark as a wormer makes sense. We know that the tannins inhibit/kill gastrointestinal worms. Lesser birdsfoot trefoil is flash grazed here for the same effect most years by weaned lambs as a break to conventional wormers. Only the one "dose" across a day so as not to have nibbly sheeps rip through the sward, but it seems to work.

Hogweed (absolutely not giant hogweed!, and know the differences between it and hemlocks and water dropworts!) leaves are a tonic and appetite stimulant for sick sheep, cattle, and horses. It's deep rooted and juicy, so probably loaded with mins and vits.

Tansy is useful against cat and dog fleas, afaik.

Definitely ask the much older generation - 80+ year olds - and not only the men. The little patch of medicinal plants would be tended by the farming women in many cases.

 

[John Chance]

And remember that there is a difference between humans taking herbal remedies / medicines and animals being given them. Humans can understand and accept the risks of ingesting untested and unproven vegetable matter containing unknown concentrations of bioactive chemicals. Animals cannot understand the risks and we have to be understand that we have an unambiguous obligation to the animals that we keep not to subject them to such risks. Further, we have a related, but separate, obligation to treat them with proven and effective medicines and remedies if we know that they are sick. These obligations to the animals leave little room for herbal / folk remedies.

 

[William Milliken]

Thanks very much for your replies. Very useful.

 

[Coximus]

Thanks very much for your replies. Very useful.

Glad to help. Was speaking to same neighbour this morning and was talking certain fields never having certain illnesses etc... Hammers home you need to go door to door with the older folks. Anyone into the industry post 45 will likely have not used alot of the old methods

 

[Av Gorritt]

A strong solution of walnut leaves and or husks in water to keep flies away from cattle and horses

And hang a holly bush (can’t remember male or female) in the winter cowshed to keep ringworm at bay. Don’t know if it works !

A modern thinking neighbour had a full holly branch hanging over his cattle , and he said it worked , but of course i don't see how to prove a negative . My grandfather (we're going back a bit now - wartime possibly ) reckoned that a bucketful of the nice friable earth from under a hawthorn bush worked on a cow off it's food . He used to get said soil , and rub a good handful over and around it's mouth and nose , and then empty the rest in the stall in front of the cow . He reckoned that they would eat quite a bit of the soil, as well as benefitting from the "earthy" aroma . He also had little packets of ginger , gentian and nux vom handy and would drench with these in a pint of old ale . I'm told that works for humans too , but the ginger makes it a bit bitter tasting !