Jilly's guardian, having attended our AZ Eqine Foundation Course, decided she would rather see if the AZ method and herbal extracts could help so brought Jilly to see us. During the session Jilly selected a wide range of herbal extracts that are known to be nervines which she responded well to. After nervines we offered extracts that are often selected by animals that are known to have a parasitic burden.

We then offered anti parasitic herbal extracts (including Garlic essential oil and Neem fixed oil) which she selected with gusto! Both are very strong smelling extracts and would not be tolerated unless they were needed!

​" She is much more happier in herself and there's a real change in her sense of confidence" her guardian reports 7 days after the initial session at our catch-up call.
Bearing in mind this is a long term chronic condition, it is early days but this is encouraging and as she continues to select the extracts we shall keep you up dated with her improvements.

Could Gluten be the cause?
A study from 2018 suggests that this could be the case. Paroxysmal Gluten-Sensitive Dyskinesia (PGSD) has been linked to gluten intake. Some of the symptoms for this disorder is similar to Epilepsy. Jilly has already been put on a grain free diet so if this is the cause it will also help. Just another reason to feed either raw or grain free!
You can see the study here

We are absolutely beyond delighted to announce the publishing of a paper of a Case Study by our own Whitethorn Team member Dr Silke Kleefeld. This ground breaking study demonstrates that domestic cats do indeed self-select essential oils in order to restore emotional balance.
Well done Silke and Alicia - pictured here with Whitethorn Herbal's Linden Blossom essential oil !  We hope that this will open the gates for more such similar studies. 
​
For further details on this study see below:

Abstract
Many animals exhibit self-medication behaviour, when given the choice, by selecting natural compounds that may serve as supportive therapeutic agents against various diseases and illnesses. We describe the use of ethnoveterinary medicine, specifically its subset, Applied Zoopharmacognosy, in a case of a cat (Felis catus) apparently demonstrating emotional distress. The cat was referred with emotional distress signs including sadness, apathy, and accentuated inappetence. No abnormality in physiological parameters was observed. Four therapeutic grade essential oils (EOs) and two absolute oils were chosen to initiate the olfactory stimulation: Lavender EO (Lavendula officinalis/augustifolia), German Chamomile EO (Matricaria recutita), Neroli EO (Citrus aurantium), Yarrow EO (Achillea millefolium), Jasmine absolute (Jasminum grandiflorum), and Linden Blossom absolute (Tilia cordata).
​Based on the self-selection of the cat, olfactory stimulation with therapeutic-grade volatiles was performed. During the acute phase of the depression-like state, the cat chose to inhale Neroli and Yarrow EOs, while during the recovery phase, the cat self-selected Jasmine and Linden Blossom absolutes for inhalation. Concomitantly, the owners provided comforting contact behaviour, including touch and auditory stimulation. This case suggests a potential role for Applied Zoopharmacognosy, that is using olfactory stimulation with self-selected EOs and absolutes, as a complementary approach for domestic cats displaying emotional distress, which warrants further investigation as a supportive therapy.

​His hair had started to fall out in chunks and sores were developing on his back and inside his hind legs as he was violently rubbing against the gates of his enclosure desperately trying to alleviate itching - of which the cause was unknown.

Prince had given up
​But worse than that he was completely dispirited and you could see by his demeanor that he had started to shut down and give up. This was shown by the dull look in his eyes and standing with his head down at the back of his enclosure in a state of non-reactivity to his environment.
Out with the Herbal Kit and whilst Prince took a little while to engage and trust me, the  self-selection is innate and doesnt have to be taught or learnt and Prince's need was great so it wasnt long before he had come forward and engaged. 

Prince is given and makes choices
Prince's main selections were analgesics - Arnica Co2, Meadowsweet dried herb and Yarrow essential oil. He also selected for infection - Bitter Almond and Garlic essential oils as well as the diuretics Juniper essential oil and Hawthorn dried herb.
By the end of the session I was cautiously optimistic as Prince had significantly brightened and was showing an interest in his environment and eating from a bale of haylage. He certainly no longer looked like a horse that was ready to be euthanised! However, he was still rubbing furiously on the walls and gates of his enclosure. So....

Water Buffet for Prince!
Recognising that an itchy skin can be caused by toxins in the gut, I left some green clay with instructions to his carers to create a water buffet for Prince. This is created by adding a teaspoon or two to a bucket of water and offer alongside a bucket of normal fresh water. In the first few days post-session his preference was indeed the green clay water and the itching and his skin started to clear immediately. The caring owners continued to offer the extracts that Prince had selected at his session in order to keep the healing process going and to optimise recovery time.

A full recovery for Prince!
Within 3 days Prince was fully mobile again as the video at the beginning of the blog shows him trotting along quite happily. His itching ceased and his skin started to clear up. Prince went from being a hopeless case requiring euthanasia to an active bright happy chap with all symptoms alleviated. Well done Team Prince!

​Such is the Power of self-selection and the wonderful caring attention from loving owners!

CALLING ALL DOG OWNERS  !  Are you confused about which Essential oil or Herbal Extract to offer to your Dog?
Here at Whitethorn Herbals we have collated the most comprehensive online resource available for the dog owner using the self-selection approach based on 15 yrs + of research and practical experience in the field.
You can find out more here or read on:

In this extensive reference data base, you will have access to herbal listings for the following:

• Physical Conditions - 45+ from abscess' to skin conditions to travel sickness
• Behavioural Issues - 16 emotional states from grief to aggression to fear
• Key Organ Support - Brain, Circulatory system, Gallbladder, Gut, Digestive system, Heart, Immune support, kidney support, Liver support, Lungs/respiratory system, Pancreas, Skin, Spleen
• Medicinal Groups (5) - analgesics and anti-inflammatory, antivirals and antibacterials, hormonal balancing, wormers

Each different category lists the herbal extracts appropriate to offer for the issue listed within the specific category. The types of herbal extracts listed includes essential oils, floral/aromatic/hydrosol waters, powders, macerates and roots/dried herbs​.

Arnica flowers CO2 extract - Certified OrganicChica is a much-loved 17yr old Quarter horse in Arkansas. Unfortunately, she had a 'run in' with a chicken coop which left her with a nasty injury on her right hind fetlock which despite treatment from a couple of veterinary establishments, after a while became thick and stiff. If and when Chica cantered, she noticeably limped afterwards.

Her owner Sharla, was particularly concerned about the pressure the other limbs were under, as they needed to compensate in order to keep the weight off of her damaged hind.

Sharla contacted us after a friend of hers told her about the AZ approach and after filling out her feedback form, we sent over a Whitethorn Herbals Mini Kit full of extracts most likely selected by a horse with the issues that Chica was presenting with. As soon as they were received a session was booked and Carly worked with her owner through zoom guiding her through the session.

Chica fully engaged from the get-go and responded well. One of her key selections was Arnica CO2 - one of the most powerful extracts in our range that clears the shock and pain out of a historical injury.  She also selected Wintergreen, Peppermint and Yarrow essential oils - also strong analgesics.

Sharla continued to offer for the following week of the session and reported a week later in our catch up call that Chica had a better demeanour, felt her eyes were brighter and she was cantering and trotting more than she had since the injury.
Ten days later from our catch up call and we received a lovely message from a very excited Sharla, reporting that Chica had cantered 3 times that day with absolutely no sign of a limp afterwards.  And a final update this evening informs us that Chica has now been reintergrated to the main herd.

Good job Team Chica! ​

​We are delighted to say that Prof Michael Huffman's (from Kyoto University, Japan)  visit went extremely well with much information and ideas exchanged, plenty of laughter, good food and also some great advice on our research protocol. Prof Huffman is the leading researcher (particularly of primates) in the field of Zoopharmacognosy and has written many papers and books on wild animals self-medicating in their natural habitat. Prof Huffman wanted to come and see how the horse's ability to self-medicate worked in a domestic setting. So we introduced him to Earl and he was a model demo horse and an absolute Star!

Prof Huffman has a deep desire to help animals have a better life worldwide. I think we can all get onboard with that! 😍

He has requested that we give another demonstration to his colleagues at Duke University in North Carolina - which we will of course happily oblige.

After Mike (as he insisted we called him) left, the Team stayed on for a really Powerful Brainstorming session working on our vision for the future. It truly was an exceptional day and I personally am so grateful for all that helped make the day so special 🙏

Thanks to a significant amount of work carried out by Whitethorn Team member Dr Silke Kleefeld, we now have a project brief for our research study. This study will monitor and record stress levels during the self-selection process through the use of this guy pictured left (supplied by Shimmer research in Dublin) which moniters stress levels through electro dermal activity. This piece of tech was used earlier this year by Conneticut University to demonstrate how EDA is a more precise way of measuring horses stress than using the horse's heart rate (ECG). Professor Michael Huffman, Kyoto University, Japan, has shown an interest in our work and plans to visit us in early July. We are very honoured and excited to recieve such a prominent member in the field of Zoopharmacognosy to say the least! More about his visit and our research studies in the coming blogs.

Our customers have been asking for Brewer's Yeast and after some searching we found a good quality source which is inactivated and preservative free from the continent (unfortunately we couldnt find any locally). As many of you will know, wherever possible, we always choose products and packaging that minimise the impact our services have on the environment.

​Brewer's yeast is selected by animals to improve and support the microbiome in the digestive system. The microbiome is often compromised by antibiotics, wormers, inappropriate diet and also stress. Offer dry on a plate - please do not mix into feed.  Click on the link for more details: Clays, Mud, Brewers Yeast & Beeswax

1. Delighted to be given the opportunity by Helen O'Hanlon from Equitas to spread the word about how we came to be and what we do:
2. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

 I grew up in leafy suburban Surrey in Southern England. In those days the tv was black and white (I kid you not!) and of course there was no internet (how did we survive?) so I spent most of the time in the garden either making herbal potions and storing them in the tree house or building farms in the gravel drive. I used to move the gravel around to make hedges and roads and spent hours planning out my model farmyard and animals. Happy innocent days!

To continue reading go to:
www.equitas.ie/interview-with-carly-hillier-whitethorn-equine-health/