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Dandelion, nettle or a detox?

If you want to boost your horse's immune system or stimulate its body to expel accumulated waste more quickly, you can give your horse a special treatment. You have the choice between a detox with a herbal mixture, a treatment with nettle, or a treatment with dandelion. When do you use which plants?

Nettle

Detox

Dandelion

14 August '23 • 3 min reading time

One of the major differences between a detox, nettle, or dandelion is the intensity of the treatments. Dandelion and nettle are mild herbs that are suitable for all horses. This means that even horses with underlying conditions such as laminitis, muscle stiffness, and obesity can use dandelion or nettle. These herbs are also suitable for pregnant mares. You can give them several times a year when you want to give your horse a boost. A herbal detox is only intended for healthy horses. A detox treatment is much more intense than just dandelion or nettle. Therefore, you should use a detox treatment much more cautiously.

What does nettle do?

A course with nettle extract is truly an immune boost. The nettle purifies the blood and supports the intestinal flora. Nettle also effectively supports your horse with allergies and skin problems. A course in the spring is therefore also useful against pollen allergies. Nettle extract can be sprinkled over the food as a topping, or mixed with drinking water as part of a mineral buffet. Nettle purifies the blood.

What does dandelion do?

Dandelion has a wide range of benefits for your horse. First of all, it deeply affects the digestion. This plant stimulates the digestive juices and helps your horse's intestines digest fats (the bile function). Dandelion also supports the liver and kidneys. Research shows that dandelion helps to eliminate uric acid and can help regulate blood sugar levels. Dandelion is therefore a mild detoxifier.

What does a detox do?

A detox consists of a herbal mixture. Often, this includes milk thistle, boldo, and turmeric. These plants have a cleansing effect. In principle, you give a healthy horse a short detox in the spring and autumn, for a maximum of one week. This helps your horse to clean up impurities and prevent major issues in the intestinal flora, immune system, liver, and kidneys. A detox works on the liver and kidneys and purifies the entire horse's body. Even after a severe illness or injury, a detox can help get your horse back on its feet. Wait until your horse has fully recovered from the illness or injury before giving a detox. At that point, a detox can put the finishing touch on the recovery. A detox does require energy from your horse, so it is not advisable to engage in heavy training or compete during the treatment.

How do I give a detox, nettle, or dandelion?

In summary: you should do a detox twice a year or after recovery from a severe illness or injury. Dandelion or nettle can actually be given at any time. These are healthy extras for your horse that also have a purifying function. For all purification treatments and detoxes, liquid herbal extracts are recommended. An extract is better absorbed, more concentrated, and therefore more powerful than dried herbs.

Angela Villiger, Filippo Sala, Andy Suter, Veronika Butterweck. In vitro inhibitory potential of Cynara scolymus, Silybum marianum, Taraxacum officinale, and Peumus boldus on key enzymes relevant to metabolic syndrome. Phytomedicine, Volume 22, Issue 1. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2014.11.015

Fors, Maria, 2009. Herbs for horses. First cycle, G2E. Uppsala: SLU, Dept. of Animal Nutrition and Management. https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/1454/7/fors_m_101007.pdf

Sheezan Rasool and Bharti Sharma. 2014. Taraxacum officinale: a high value less known medicinal plant. Centre for Biodiversity Studies, School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, BGSB University, Rajouri-185131, J & K, India. [https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&typ...

Read more:

Nettle

Detox

You often hear that a herbal detox is good for your horse. It is a natural way to cleanse the body. Horses in the wild also 'detox'. Firstly, because they lose fat tissue - and thereby a lot of waste products - during the winter months. And secondly, by eating various herbs and branches. Is a detox also a good idea for your horse?

Which horses benefit from a detox?

You often hear that a herbal detox is good for your horse. It is a natural way to cleanse the body. Horses in the wild also 'detox'. Firstly, because they lose fat tissue - and thereby a lot of waste products - during the winter months. And secondly, by eating various herbs and branches. Is a detox also a good idea for your horse?. It is important to ask this question because a detox is not suitable for all horses. For example, sick horses, horses with extreme overweight or laminitis and pregnant horses should not be given a detox treatment. Sometimes, a mild purification with nettles may be a good idea for these horses. So, a detox is always a matter of customization. What are the benefits of a detox? A detox is intended to remove toxins from the body. Toxins arise in daily life, for example from digestion or from minuscu...

Nettle

Almost every horse owner feeds their horse nettle at some point since nettle is known for its healing properties and because horses find it very tasty. But is it a suitable supplement for your horse? And is it better to give nettle fresh, dried, or in liquid form?

Do you choose dried or liquid nettle for your horse?

Almost every horse owner feeds their horse nettle at some point since nettle is known for its healing properties and because horses find it very tasty. But is it a suitable supplement for your horse? And is it better to give nettle fresh, dried, or in liquid form?. Nettles have been praised for their healthy properties since ancient Greek times and have been used for centuries as a medicinal herb for both humans and animals. Many beneficial effects are known from science. However, nettles still have a bad reputation with many people. It's a weed, it stings, it causes itching, and it's an annoying plant that spreads along roads and meadows. But nettles are really super healthy, both for humans and horses. People often make tea from them, cook nettle soup, o...

Dandelion

What is the healing effect of dandelion?

What is the medicinal effect of dandelion? In the spring, many meadows are full of dandelions. A cheerful sight, but did you know that this plant also has powerful medicinal properties? The leaves and roots of dandelions contain tannins and other 'bitter substances' that are beneficial for digestion and liver function, in both humans and horses. The dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) may seem like such a common plant and is often seen as a weed, but it is actually a very special flower. Both the l...

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