Ethnobotany and Zoopharmacognosy
09/09/2013
This August, I attended the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) meeting. This is an annual meeting that I try to get to as often as possible, especially with my herbal studies. The Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association (VBMA) meets in conjunction with this group, and they had some great talks including the topic of ethnobotany, the study of how different cultures traditionally and currently use plants as medicine, food, fibers, building materials, currency and more. Of course the VBMA’s interest is the medicinal use of plants, specifically for animals. It is fascinating to look at traditional uses of plants that are found locally for various cultures, and now with modern scientific capabilities see how these plants’ components and chemicals have specific effects on the body — liver, heart, and immune support, for example. Many of our modern medicines come from these plant chemicals, and pharmaceutical companies are constantly studying the plant world to find the next miracle cure — things our ancestors were discovering by trial and error, and a bit of intuition, long ago!
The amazing thing is that animals too sometimes seem to pick out specific herbs for certain ailments, this is called “zoopharmacognosy”. There are many examples of field biologists observing animals from monkeys and apes to rabbits, birds, elephants and more as they search out specific plants for their parasite infections, fevers or other discomforts. While Wikipedia is not my first go-to source of scientific information, this article is simple and links to a few fun and interesting studies: Zoopharmacognosy
This is not always the case: farm animals as well as dogs and cats will eat poisonous plants. I think it has something to do with the loss of some natural instincts with domestication — use it or lose it! Also, most of our domestic animals are confined, either outside by fences or indoors, and do not have access to the “right” plants and may sometimes make poor choices with what they have available. Wild animals will also eat plants they shouldn’t at times. It may have to do with habitat changes and destruction, or is this hit or miss? Is zoopharmacognosy a repeatable phenomenon? And what about the age-old question - Why does my dog eat grass and then vomit? Is it because he feels like he needs to vomit, or is it the grass that makes him vomit? I have to say there are times when our dog just seems desperate to eat grass and then vomits and seems to feel much better. This is obviously a topic that we will be hard-pressed to ever find all of the true answers to.
Whatever the reasons, it is fascinating to know that every healthy ecosystem that traditional cultures have lived in has the variety of plants with just the right phytochemicals to treat ailments and injuries common to that area. One herb that I use quite often for my animal patients is Ashwagandha, used in India for as long as history remembers. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and is what herbalists call an “adaptogen”, which basically means that it has constituents that support general cell function, helping the body to “adapt” to stresses. Especially in my geriatric patients, I get reports that the animals often just seem to feel better, brighter, more active, better appetite. There is still so much to learn about plants and their actions and research is at an all time high. I stick to the most safe, gentle, supportive herbs for my patients, and I am seeing some really nice results for pancreatitis, liver disease, diabetes, as well as cancer and other conditions. Herbs are not cure-alls, and I am extremely grateful for many of the advances of modern medicine, but their supportive benefits through the ages cannot be denied.
The amazing thing is that animals too sometimes seem to pick out specific herbs for certain ailments, this is called “zoopharmacognosy”. There are many examples of field biologists observing animals from monkeys and apes to rabbits, birds, elephants and more as they search out specific plants for their parasite infections, fevers or other discomforts. While Wikipedia is not my first go-to source of scientific information, this article is simple and links to a few fun and interesting studies: Zoopharmacognosy
This is not always the case: farm animals as well as dogs and cats will eat poisonous plants. I think it has something to do with the loss of some natural instincts with domestication — use it or lose it! Also, most of our domestic animals are confined, either outside by fences or indoors, and do not have access to the “right” plants and may sometimes make poor choices with what they have available. Wild animals will also eat plants they shouldn’t at times. It may have to do with habitat changes and destruction, or is this hit or miss? Is zoopharmacognosy a repeatable phenomenon? And what about the age-old question - Why does my dog eat grass and then vomit? Is it because he feels like he needs to vomit, or is it the grass that makes him vomit? I have to say there are times when our dog just seems desperate to eat grass and then vomits and seems to feel much better. This is obviously a topic that we will be hard-pressed to ever find all of the true answers to.
Whatever the reasons, it is fascinating to know that every healthy ecosystem that traditional cultures have lived in has the variety of plants with just the right phytochemicals to treat ailments and injuries common to that area. One herb that I use quite often for my animal patients is Ashwagandha, used in India for as long as history remembers. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and is what herbalists call an “adaptogen”, which basically means that it has constituents that support general cell function, helping the body to “adapt” to stresses. Especially in my geriatric patients, I get reports that the animals often just seem to feel better, brighter, more active, better appetite. There is still so much to learn about plants and their actions and research is at an all time high. I stick to the most safe, gentle, supportive herbs for my patients, and I am seeing some really nice results for pancreatitis, liver disease, diabetes, as well as cancer and other conditions. Herbs are not cure-alls, and I am extremely grateful for many of the advances of modern medicine, but their supportive benefits through the ages cannot be denied.