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/ 

DEAD SEA MINERAL MUD for puncture wounds!

One of the nightmares of horse ownership is a puncture wound - particularly near or on a joint. Your vet may advise antibiotics and to allow the wound to drain of it's own accord.
Dead Sea Mineral Mud can assist with that drainage by 'sucking out' the debris and pus. Apply liberally and allow to fall off when it has done it's job!

Dead Sea Mineral Mud is also great for mud fever and has been proven to be effective at speeding up healing wounds (see ref below for study).  However do not apply to stitches and always consult your vet if you are concerned about the health of your horse.
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Click on the link to go to Dead Sea Mineral Mud

​Abu-al-Basal MA. Histological evaluation of the healing properties of Dead Sea black mud on full-thickness excision cutaneous wounds in BALB/c mice. Pak J Biol Sci. 2012 Apr 1;15(7):306-15. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2012.306.315. PMID: 24163956.

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That's why essential oils are so effective for pain and inflammation where an instant response is required. Upon sniffing essential oils, the effect can also be instantaneous as the olfactory receptors are directly connected to the hypothalamus - which in turn influences the limbic system as well as the sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous system.  This is why they are so effective for emotional issues. So hopefully, you can see that it's a 'different strokes for different folks' - it all depends upon where the root of the issue is! I have only one more key piece of information that basically over-rules all of the above.

THE MOST EFFECTIVE  EXTRACT IS THE ONE YOUR DOG CHOOSES !!!!
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​For more information on how you can help your dog using herbal extracts and essential oils join us at our next Foundation workshop in Cork, Ireland - dates and location soon to be announced.