ARTICLE WRITTEN FOR THE CANINE EPILEPSY SUPPORT GROUP
by Mary Boughton of Dorwest Herbs
Member of the British Herbal Medicine Association's Veterinary Committee

Over the last decade there has been a resurgence of interest in the healing properties of plants not only from the general public but also from the medical profession. Supplementing the diet with herbs that are grown in the garden or from the wild can be beneficial to maintain overall health but can be fraught with difficulties. Not all herbs are beneficial, so it is important that the correct plant and species is identified. Awareness of the risk of pollution and correct preparation and storage are also vital factors. It is therefore not surprising that many people prefer to buy herbs in a manufactured tablet, capsule or powdered form, on the understanding that these will provide a guarantee of quality and efficacy. This unfortunately is not always the case and misleading advertising jargon, can often lead to disappointment for the consumer.

With herbal ingredients, there are many different qualities available, depending on the origin of the plant, the way it has been dried and the conditions in which it is kept before being incorporated in the product. This quality is extremely important because it is this quality that makes the herb effective. To overcome this problem and provide a standard specification for all herbs, in 1971 the British Herbal Medicine Association produced the first British Herbal Pharmacopœia (BHP). The latest 1996 edition is now used by the medical and scientific professions as a standard work for checking herb quality and specifications. The BHP gives definitions, including therapeutic indications and standards of purity for all herbs, as well as macroscopical and microscopical descriptions. It lays down the way in which the herb should be identified using laboratory techniques such as thin layer chromatology and also storage and preparation requirements to ensure the continued presence of the efficacious ingredients throughout the shelf life of the product in which it is included. Regrettably there is no guarantee that every manufacturer uses this standard of quality in the ingredients that they use. It is also advisable to ascertain that they are implementing all the necessary manufacturing controls that are needed in the use of botanic ingredients, where natural variation in the plant is normal and depends on the country of origin environmental conditions and seasonal variations.

Today's consumer is increasingly discerning about the 'natural' products that they are using and because of their concerns about the side and long term effects of some medications, are also asking their vets to look for credible alternative treatments. In fact a great percentage of drugs prescribed today are still plant based but there are many instances where scientists have not succeeded in synthesising certain active plant principles and using the raw material can offer a safe, effective treatment for many common and chronic canine and feline complaints. This is where the consumer and their veterinary surgeon need a genuine guarantee that the herbal product that they are using is safe and effective.

This guarantee can be given if the herbal product is licensed for medicinal use. This means that the product has a PL or Vm number on the label, indicating that it is strictly controlled by the terms and conditions of the Medicines Act 1968. It must conform to the specific controls regarding what it contains, the conditions in which it is manufactured, where it may be sold and for which conditions it is recommended. Manufacture of such medicines must be undertaken in a licensed factory where equipment, methods and controls are inspected and approved by Ministry inspectors to ensure that they conform to the Good Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Practice Code. Of most interest to the consumer however, is the efficacy of the medicine and in the case of veterinary herbal medicines this will have been proved and approved by practising veterinary surgeons and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, to confirm it's effectiveness in treating the conditions for which it is recommended.

An example of this is Dorwest Herbs' Scullcap and Valerian tablets, with which many readers will be familiar. It is a licensed veterinary herbal medicine and on the label is not only the Vm Number but details of its licensed use i.e. "A traditional herbal remedy for the symptomatic relief of anxiety, nervousness, excitability and travel sickness and an adjunct in the treatment of epilepsy." Further information shown on the label covers active ingredients, dosage etc. in compliance with Ministry requirements.

So - buying a licensed product is the best safeguard you can have!
There are however, herbal products that do not presume to make such remedial claims, but can nevertheless make useful dietary supplements. Provided that the manufacturing company can provide you with assurances that the ingredients conform to BHP standards and that the product is manufactured to a stringent code of practice, herbal supplements can be very beneficial for overall health and condition.

Detailed information on Dorwest's veterinary herbal medicines and supplements range can be found in their brochure."Your Guide to Natural Feeding and Treatments - for Dogs and Cats" Dorwest also have professional Clinical and Pharmaceutical data which is available to vets only. If you are interested in using any of products they are available on general sale but if you prefer to do so in consultation with your veterinary surgeon, a copy of our Data can be supplied on their approval.