Epona's Pastures

Here at Eponas Pastures, we believe in treating non threatening ailments as naturally as possible, whenever possible. This page is dedicated to information and natural solutions we have found useful and successful in treating our own horses (and other animals) of different ailments. Please note that we are not in any way qualified practitioners in any medical field, herbal practices or alternative medicines. The information provided on this page are only suggestions, tips, shared stories and personal recommendations of things that have worked for us. Please remember that you must always consult your veterinarian first if your horse is sick.

Detoxification (Blood Cleansing)                                             Colloidal Silver

This Article was written by Meadowsweet Acre Herbs and can be found on their website along with many other great articles - http://www.meadowherbs.com

As a horse owner, you should be aware of some of the problems associated with the drug therapies your horse may be administered by your veterinarian. These drugs are usually vital to your horse's recovery, but that doesn't mean that they are not without side effects. There is still not much information on the long term effects different drugs may have on the horse’s body. Many of the modern pharmaceutical drugs are in general very hard on the liver and kidneys.

It may be worth considering detoxifying the horse’s body to give them a boost to help rid the drugs from their systems again once the treatment has been completed. Any person or horse that has been on long term drug therapies should consider taking detoxifying herbs. This would mean the EPM horse, the Navicular horse, the Laminitic horse and any horse than is getting through each day by taking pain relieving or anti-inflammatory drugs.

There are three areas of the body that should be "cleansed".

• The Liver
• The Kidneys
• The Lymphatic System

The Liver

The Liver is the main detoxifying organ in the body and will be affected by long term drug use. It is the first organ in the body to filter the blood, so it is very susceptible to damage, but it can also regenerate quickly as well. The liver will remove toxins before they can damage other organs such as the heart and blood vessels.  When the liver is not working properly, it can have very bad effects on long term health care.

The herb of choice would have to be Milk Thistle Seed. The seeds should be ground up into a powdered form, as the seeds themselves are quite hard and almost non digestible to the horse. Most seeds fed in the whole form will more than likely pass through the entire system without being utilized and end up in the manure.

Milk Thistle works in three ways. It protects the Liver cells, it has antioxidant activity and it will also regenerate damaged liver cells. Milk Thistle seeds are comprised of bioflavonoid silymarin complex and silibinin. The silymarin complex protects the liver with its anti-oxidant properties. It prevents toxins from entering the liver cells and it also helps with regeneration of damaged cells.

There has been alot of research done on the active constituent in Milk Thistle seed. This is called Silymarin. Silymarin has been proven to help offset damage caused by certain prescription drugs, especially antidepressants and anticonvulsive drugs.

Other herbs that will also help  the liver are Dandelion root, Cleavers, Fennel seed, Wormwood, Yellowdock root, Barberry, Celery seed, Hyssop, Goldenseal, and Yarrow. But again, Milk Thistle seed is the HERB of choice for the liver.!!!!

The Kidneys

Our horses health may depend alot more than you think on the proper function of his kidneys. Most of us know that the kidneys excrete waste matter such as urea, uric acid, reatinine and ammonia. But the kidneys will also regulate the total concentration of water and electrolytes, and also regulate the concentration of each electrolyte! The kidneys also help to regulate the acid alkaline balance of the plasma and they also secrete an enzyme called renin which regulates sodium and water retention. The kidneys will eliminate substances that are in the blood, whether the substances are a result of metabolic defects, bacterial or ingested chemicals. Lets just say the kidneys due a lot of regulating and cleansing and shouldn't be taken for granted.!! To help them work properly and efficiently, some very good diuretic herbs should be taken along with the Milk Thistle seed mentioned above. Herbs such as Dandelion root or leaf, with the root being much stronger. Dandelion is a very powerful diuretic and one of the best sources of   natural occurring potassium. It will also help with inflammation and congestion of the liver and gall bladder. Burdock root is another excellent diuretic and blood cleanser as well. It too will also help with the secretion of bile and aid kidney function as well.

The Lymphatic System

The Lymphatic system is essentially a drainage system for the entire body. It drains fluids from tissues and returns it to the blood in the large veins at the back of the neck. The main function of the lymphatic system is to return to the blood stream protein and fluid lost from the capillaries. It is also a defense against disease. The lymphatic system protects the body by phagocytosis. These are cells that line the lymph nodes and digest any harmful or foreign material. The lymphatic system also protects the body by helping to trigger an  immune response. Two types of lymphocytes in the nodes increase rapidly in response to contact with foreign substances. Keeping the Lymphatic system up and running is very vital to your horses health. The herb of Choice would have to be Cleavers. Cleavers is considered a lymphatic tonic. It is not only considered a tonic for the lymphatic system, but also an alterative (blood cleansing) and diuretic as well. Other herbs for the Lymphatic system are Yarrow flowers, Dandelion leaf, Blessed Thistle and Milk Thistle. An excellent herbal blend for the lymphatic system should consist of Cleavers, Dandelion leaf, Yarrow and Blessed Thistle.

Meadowsweet Park (www.meadowherbs.com) presently stock a wonderful Herbal Detox blend for your horse, which contains many of the herbs discussed above.

Alternatively, these herbs can be purchased separately (and combined as needed) at - http://www.countrypark.com.au

Back To The Menu

I came across Colloidal Silver while doing some research on natural alternatives that I could use to assist my horse “Jocks” with recurring uveitis which had flared up for the second time in a couple of months. The veterinarian gave me all the standard, bute and steroid drops for his eye which we tried using with little success. The eye did clear up after a while, but it flared up again only a couple of days later. Not wanting to keep my horse on bute for prolonged periods at a time (he had just undergone fairly major surgery and had been on bute for a month prior), I started doing some research. I wanted to understand what recurring uveitis was, what causes it and what other possible options I might have.

When I first read about colloidal silver I was very sceptical. I read numerous articles on the web, and hundreds of testimonials. Eventually I was satisfied that this was worth trying, after all, there were no negative side effects and if it didn’t work, it would certainly not do any harm.  

I used a clean syringe to carefully administer the liquid into the eye. I probably administered about 2ml twice a day (only half of it makes it into the eye with Jocks moving around). His eye cleared up within 24hrs.  I continued the treatment for about 3 days to make certain it was gone.

It was probably another month before I noticed that Jock’s had started to squint in that eye again and this time I started the drops before the uveitis became too flared up. His eye was open again the next day. Jocks now wears a fly mask on very bright sunny days to protect his eyes and I always check his eye for any sign that the uveitis may be causing him trouble. Since starting the Colloidal Silver, the recurrences have been few and far between.  

After my success with the Colloidal Silver, I shared my story with a neighbour who has several horses. She told me that she had no less than three horses boxed during the day at the time, because of the same condition. I gave her a sample to try on her horses. She had as much success as I did and all three horses were back in their paddocks during daylight within a couple of days.  

Sharon, (who works with Epona’s Pastures) has a dog who has “Dry Eye” which means the eye can no longer produce any tears. As a result the eye gets covered in a yellow, mucus like substance which tends to glue the eye together. I gave Sharon a sample to try on the dog and she can’t believe how much her dog’s eye has cleared up. She said that none of the very expensive creams that she had received from the veterinarian clinic had been as effective as the colloidal silver.

Why am I writing this? Rest assured that I am not in any way associated with the manufacturers of this product or that I stand to gain any financial benefit from it. I am sharing my experience about this product because I have had such success with it and I know it can be of help to others.  There are hundreds of horses (and other pets) living with uveitis and similar eye problems and this might just be the answer.

Below is some information on Colloidal Silver from different articles I found on the net. I recommend that you do your own research on the topic in addition to what you find here. Keep in mind that this product should also work well for any type of infections, both internally and externally on both humans and animals alike.

NOTE – Your veterinarian should always be the first point of call !!!

Colloidal Silver has not been approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and can therefore not be recommended or prescribed by your veterinarian. TGA does not believe there is enough clinical evidence of it's therapeutic effects (Despite this, I know of at least one Veterinarian who uses it in his clinic to treat “difficult” cases).

If you do decide to try the Colloidal Silver, I would recommend that you purchase it from one of the following websites (do not attempt to make this product at home with the kits you can buy on the internet !!!) :

Country Park - http://www.countrypark.com.au 

Robert McDowells - http://www.herbal-treatments.com.au

(It was only after I had tried this product that I found Robert McDowell also recommends it for treating server eye infections etc, and he is a well respected herbalist !)

Story Posted by - Inger

How to Purchase Colloidal Silver