Super Greens & Digestive Support for Animal Friends

A combination of herbs which enriches a meal

I am thankful to see an awakening about how we feed our dogs and cats. A movement towards feeding a diet appropriate for them, a diet rich in raw or lightly cooked meat/offal, some vegetables, some cooked grains if needed, and herbs such as super greens. Super greens are a combination of grasses, herbs, and algae, offering high nutrient content that is easily absorbed. Barley grass, Nettle leaf, Dandelion leaf, Comfrey leaf, Kelp, and Spirulina are a few that help replenish nutrient reserves and gently cleanse toxins from the blood, liver, kidneys, and colon. It is the nourishment from food and herbs that ensures all organs and body systems are cared for. Preparing a whole food meal is the foundation of their health, and by adding a little boost of super nutrients, you can assure they are getting all the necessary nutrients for your dog’s and cat’s ideal health.  

For strictly indoor cats and dogs that are unable to eat fresh grass, adding super greens helps with hairballs in cats and aids digestive issues in dogs and cats that would eat grass if they were outside to induce vomiting when their stomachs are upset. Super greens are one of the easiest ways to obtain a high concentration of nutrients that are easily assimilated and affordable. I like to blend FORCO (a digestive enzyme & probiotic) into my super greens for improved gut health.

Add a tsp. to a tbsp. to one or two meals a day, this provides:

• Antioxidants, which are known to help the body’s immune system stay strong.
• Predigested proteins are used to build the body and detoxify chemicals.
• Digestive supporting herbs which activate enzymes and prebiotics for healthy intestinal flora.
• A full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals.
• Gentle blood cleansing properties, which impede the onset of arthritis and other degenerative diseases.
• Gentle liver cleansing properties, which are known to support immune and hormonal health, impeding cancer and other immune system diseases.
• Strong digestion and healthy elimination.

Nutrients are derived from the food we eat and work synergistically with other nutrients necessary for healthy cells and overall well-being. Here is a list of how vitamins and minerals help keep us and our animal friends in good health.

Vitamins  Minerals and Trace Minerals

Herbal Therapeutic Dictionary  
Materia Medica

Barley Grass

Barley Grass Hordeum vulgare. Part used: stem Taste: sweet/salty Thermal energetic: cooling Effective form: fresh juiced, dried, powdered, tablets Properties: a nutrient-rich plant, also known as a super green food, it is rich in chlorophyll, anti-oxidants, and is anti-aging. Medicinal use: Helps maintain a strong immune system. Neutralizes heavy metals such as mercury, promotes liver/blood health through its gentle cleansing properties, and regulates blood sugar levels. Fresh juicing helps maintain healthy, strong cells, which can prevent cancer. Cautions: none

Comfrey Leaf

Comfrey Leaf Symphytum officinale: Part used: leaf & root Taste: bitter/sweet Thermal energetic: cooling Effective form: infusion, decoction, compress Properties: anti-inflammatory, astringent, demulcent, hemostatic, vulnerably (promotes wound healing), expectorant, nutritive tonic, alterative, antitussive (cough suppressant or reliever). Medicinal use: Heals flesh and bone injury by its property to speed up mitosis (cell division). Used for ulceration anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract (colitis, hiatus, hernia). Supports the pancreas by regulating blood sugar levels, benefits the organs, and supports the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Soothing and healing for skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, ulcers, and wounds, it also helps with varicose veins. Helps with bronchitis, pneumonia, coughs, whooping cough, expels phlegm, and soothes the throat. Externally: It draws poisons from boils, insect bites, and stings.

Note: Comfrey leaf taken internally is most effective when used in a formula, which is the recommended way to take herbal remedies. Comfrey, used alone for healing flesh and bones, should not be taken internally for longer than 8 weeks.

CFm. Weston et al., “Ven-Occlusive Disease of the Liver Secondary to ingestion of Comfrey.” British Medical Journal 295 (1987)

P. M. Ridker et al, “Hepatic Venocclusive Disease Associated with the Consumption of Pyrrolizidine-Containing Dietary Supplements,” Gastroenterology 88 (1985):1050-4

The issues of toxicity that have haunted comfrey in recent years have become a major subject of frustration for herbalists. In thousands of years of use by millions of people, only two reports of hepatotoxicity have been documented in humans.1 One of many constituents of comfrey is Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid (PA), the alkaloid that was isolated from the rest of the plant’s chemistry and then fed or injected into test animals in quantities or concentrations hundreds of times greater than those that would occur in nature, causing liver stress. Common sense tells us that anything ingested in overabundance is potentially toxic. The average horse would need to eat several hundred pounds of the leaves each day before any toxic effects would be observed. Comfrey leaf PA content in fresh leaf is about 0.3 percent and is 10 times higher in comfrey root.

Dandelion leaf

Dandelion leaf Taraxacum officinale Part used: leaf, fresh or dried Taste: bitter Thermal energetic: cooling Effective form: *infusion, capsules, tincture, fresh Properties: rich in potassium, beta carotene, vitamin D, vitamin B, vitamin C, pancreatic regulator, *galactagogue, *cholagogue, bile duct stimulant. Medicinal use: Used for water retention (diuretic), especially due to high blood pressure. Used in tonics for liver stagnation and gallbladder issues, extremely rich in minerals, and keeps healthy teeth enamel. Helps rejuvenate the blood.

Nettle Leaf

Nettle leaf Urtica dioica Part used: leaf Taste: bitter Thermal energetic: cool Effective form: infusion, capsules, tincture, freeze-dried Properties: Very alkalizing to the blood, astringent, anti-inflammatory, *galactagogue. Rich in minerals, chlorophyll, vitamins, and serotonin, it is a natural antihistamine and blood cleanser/purifier. Medicinal uses: Blood tonic, diuretic, expectorant, increases circulation, and specific in treating bladder infections. Balances the thyroid, stops excessive bleeding, and helps alleviate diarrhea and dysentery. It also aids in managing inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis, and acts as a natural antihistamine for allergies. Supports upper respiratory health; asthma, excess phlegm, sinus congestion.

Spirulina

Spirulina Spirulina platensis. Part used: whole organism as dried powder. Thermal energetic: cool Effective form: powder, tablets, capsule. Preparation: Mix into freshly made human or animal friend food. Humans can add a smoothie, a protein drink, or just a drink mixed with water. Properties: Rich in vitamins, especially B vitamins, anti-oxidants, especially beta carotene, minerals, especially calcium, trace minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and prebiotics; for healthy flora, rich in chlorophyll. Medicinal use: A prime immune supporter. Helps cleanse the blood, supports circulation and heart health, and promotes the health of the liver, thyroid, and adrenal glands.

Kelp

Kelp Ascophyllum nodosum Part used: leaves Taste: salty Thermal energetic: very cooling Effective form: tablets, capsules, powder, flakes, tincture, fresh Properties: anti-biotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-coagulant, rich in carotene, iodine, and chromium. Medicinal use: Cleanses the body of heavy metals and toxins. Cleanses the blood (toxins can cause rashes, eczema, psoriasis, and inflammation). Softens hard masses, helps clear yellow or green phlegm, nourishes the kidneys, supports the immune system, and supports thyroid health, especially when blended with spirulina.