FIVE EVERYDAY HERBS TO PREPARE AND USE
by Mary Boughton of Dorwest Herbs
Member of the British Herbal Medicine Association's Veterinary Committee

There are many sources of herbs which are suitable for preparation in the home - many of the fresh or dried culinary herbs available in shops can be used in other ways and there are also suppliers of quality dried herbs. The cheapest and simplest way however is to pick the plants fresh from your garden or the wild. As so many of us now live in an increasingly polluted environment, the most important thing to remember when proposing to pick herbs for use for ourselves or our animals is the one of quality and purity. If you are lucky enough to live in a rural area you can often pick plants from the wild, but remember it is illegal to uproot wild plants so pick only the leaves, stems or berries that you require and leave the plant to grow again next year. Of course, it is essential that you are able to identify the plant that you are going to pick, and unless you are very familiar with the species it is best to refer to an standard book on wild plants or herbs. A good herbal or botanical book will usually give you the information you need to positively identify the plant but remember the golden rule is that if you are in doubt - don't use it ! As the common wild and culinary herbs are the easiest to find and require little botanical knowledge, it is with this group that we shall start and you may be surprised at the properties that some of these herbs have.

As carnivores are designed to cope with meat rather than the chlorophyll in plants they can only make full use of leafy herbs if they are chopped very finely. It is this lack of ability to digest plants in their raw form which is the reason that carnivores will often obtain partly digested plant material by eating cow and horse dung and wild dogs and large cats will be seen eating the stomach of their prey with great relish ! It may not be so appealing to us but this does explain the sometimes strange preferences that our domesticated animals still have for these tasty items. So make sure that you chop all herbs very finely before adding it to the feed.

Parsley is perhaps the most widely used herb but it has many uses apart from cooking. contains large amounts of vitamins and minerals and is mildly diuretic, so adding it to your dog or cat's diet will help to provide a good source of Vitamin C as well as aiding the digestion. It's mild diuretic action makes Parsley an excellent herb to cleanse the system and cool the blood. There are 37 varieties of the curly leaved Parsley but the compact Triple Moss Curled Parsley is reputed to have the highest medicinal value. Combined with other herbs Parsley is used in many medicines to relieve rheumatic and arthritic pain, so it really is a most valuable plant and has the advantage of being easy to obtain. Watercress is another well known and easily obtained plant which has a host of beneficial uses. Most people know that it is rich in iron but did you know that it also contains Vitamins A, C, B1 and B2 and because of its effects on the kidneys and bladder it is an ingredient of medicines used to treat infections in these organs. Another very common herb is Celery, although most of us will think of this as a vegetable rather than a herb. Its seeds are widely used in medicines for the relief of arthritis and rheumatism because of its ability to relieve both bone and muscle spasms, but the celery stems also have similar properties and again these can be finely chopped to a pulp and added to the diet. The common Stinging Nettle might not be so easy to pick, although with the aid of thick gloves it is relatively simple, but it is certainly a plant that is worthwhile making the effort to collect. It has a high potassium and calcium content and is a rich source of chlorophyll. This alone makes it an ideal addition to the diet but as it is also used in medicines for rheumatism and arthritis as well as being useful for sprains and joints we should perhaps all look at our nettle patch with more affection in the future. Dandelion leaves and root are widely used in herbal medicines; the root is perhaps too difficult to deal with oneself but the leaves of Dandelion provide valuable nutritional elements containing Vitamins A, B, C and D as well as iron and potassium. It is a tonic for the liver and kidneys, stimulates the appetitie, aids digestion and relieves flatulence and bloat. A valuable herb indeed and one which most of us will have readily available and perhaps be pleased to find a good use for !

So there we have Parsley, Nettle, Celery, Watercress and Dandelion all of which can be finely chopped and added to the daily feed. To provide a variety of nutrients it is advisable to choose just two or three of these at a time and change the mix regularly, perhaps depending on the needs of the animal, what you have available and the season of the year. Next time we'll look at some of the cultivated herbs in the garden and how they too can be prepared and used.