Page 25 - The Game March 2006

Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper The Game, March 2006 25
The Game
Special Advertorial Feature
Health & Nutrition 2006
Safety and Efficacy of Herbal Supplements and Remedies
www.macleod-equine.com
Aids in treatment of stomach ailments
Anti-inflammatory
Soothes the gut
Easy to use liquid formulation
Ideal for horses with... • Stomach Ulcers
• Inflamed digestive tracts
• Inappetance (poor weight) • Stressed foals
Manufactured to strict GMP standards
Probiotic
Easy to use suspension format
Promotes better digestion and intestinal health
Ideal for horses with...
• inappetance (poor weight)
• recurrent bouts of colic
• prolonged antibiotic administration
• sickness or stress
Herbal health products scientifically formulated by Dr. Gordon Chang Ph.D.
MACLEOD EQUINE
John MacLeod 1-888-395-0006 Patti Hanco 416-995-7940
Email: pattihanco@aol.com
Available through your Veterinarian, Feed Dealer
and Fine Tack Shops everywhere. Dealer inquiries welcomed.
By Gordon Chang
The question usually asked regarding herbal remedies is “do they work?” or “do they work mainly because of a placebo effect (the benefit is only in one’s head)?” While these questions are certainly justified they are equally applicable to many modern pharmaceuticals but are seldom applied to modern drugs. When herbal remedies are given to animals the placebo effect does not apply because the animal does not know how it is expected to respond. On a more scientific footing, herbal remedies work because they usually have a long history of use even though in many societies this information is not recorded but passed on by word-of-mouth. In many modern societies the use of herbal remedies has become almost non-existent. Fortunately there are a dedicated few who have tried to keep the knowledge of the use of herbs alive.
Human beings have used herbs for food and medicine for as long as humankind has existed. Some herbs have been used both as food (e.g. ginger as a spice) and also as medicine (ginger for nausea). Every society in existence has used plants (herbs) to prevent and also to treat illness with varying degrees of success. With the advent of modern pharmaceuticals the use of medicinal herbs to prevent and treat illness has fallen into disrepute. It is
easy to forget that many of today’s modern drugs were first isolated from plants and then chemically modified into the form that is sold by modern pharmaceutical companies. While many modern pharmaceutical drugs are wonderful at treating acute conditions they have a poor record at treating chronic conditions without major or dangerous side effects. With very few exceptions herbs tend to have a much higher safety margin than many modern drugs, and most dangerous herbs are not easily available to the general public.
The Significance Of Active Constituents
It is known that the active constituents of many herbal remedies are very low, yet they are as active as some of the more modern drugs which have a much
higher dose of the active compound. The reason that herbal remedies are effective is because herbal remedies often have many different compounds which have a similar physiological effect on the body, and even though they are in a lower concentration their positive effects may be multiplicative (synergistic) thus producing a net positive effect. This lower concentration of the active constituents is also what gives herbal remedies their higher safety margin. If most commonly sold herbal remedies are taken at 4-5 times the recommended dose no ill effects requiring hospitalization will occur. The same cannot be said for modern drugs.
Dosage Forms
The first herbal remedies were usually consumed as fresh whole herb. As time and knowledge progressed herbal remedies were made from dried herbs because fresh herbs were only available locally for a relatively short period of time. Today most herbal remedies used for horses are usually sold as (a) bulk herbs, ground into powder; or (b) liquid herbal extracts made with alcohol or water. In order for any herb to have an effect on the body, the body must first be able to absorb the active compounds from the herb.
CONTINUED PAGE 27 - SEE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
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