An Article about Sheep and Herbs

By Alethea Kenney
My last two articles focused on what health is and how to maintain it and using homeopathics when
problems do arise to help return the animal to balance while the shepherd works to correct the underly-
ing condition that allowed the illness or injury to arise in the beginning. Herbs are another natural way
to treat illness, parasites and injury holistically and there are many herbs and ways to use them. I will
give a few examples of preparations and herbs that work well for me. Several good books on herbal
care for livestock are available and most animals can be given the same herbs humans take but in doses
specific to the weight of the animal being treated. In my experience, less is more. I often start with a
dose well under what would be appropriate for an animal's weight and find that in most cases, it is ef-
fective and I've saved myself time, expense and herbs. Repetition seems to be key to herbs and I will
repeat a dose several times a day in extreme cases or only once or twice a day in non-critical cases.
When preparing herbs for use, the most common ways are teas, tinctures and capsules (or ground
whole herb in an easy-to-dispense dose). I prefer teas for several reasons but teas also have draw-
backs when dosing animals. According to Kevin Spelman in his article in Journal of American Herbalists
Guild (2007), animals have evolved to digest a multi component mix of nutrients in herbs not just one
isolated constituent or chemical and Juliette de Bairacli Levy (1991) also describes the use of fresh
whole herbs or teas as more natural to animals. Because of this, I make teas from fresh or dried herbs
as infusions or decoctions. An infusion is made from leaves, flowers or other ephemeral parts and boil-
ing water is poured over the plant material, this is covered and allowed to steep for 10 minutes up to an
hour (de Bairacli Levy steeps hers overnight). Decoctions are made from roots, dried berries and
woody parts of plants and the plant parts are boiled in the water for 10 minutes to a half hour (I do this
until the water turns the color of the plant material). When preparing these, I use about 2 handfuls of
fresh material or one handful of dried (this is approximately 2 oz fresh or 1 oz dried if you want to
weigh it) and one pint of water. For an average Icelandic ewe, the dose I then give is about half the
pint at a time, repeated up to 4 times a day. To use a tea externally, I use the same recipe but then
after the tea cools, pour some on the affected area. The downside to teas is obvious, it's time-
consuming to make and then you have to catch the sheep and manage to pour a considerable quantity
of liquid (which may not taste great) in its mouth. Adding molasses can aid in taste but handling the
animal is still difficult. For those who wish to attempt it, straddling the sheep from behind at about the
neck and using your legs to hold while you tip the head slightly and insert a large syringe of tea in its
mouth is about the easiest. If the animal is separated from the flock, teas can be added to water but
make sure the water is still palatable, if you've adulterated it to the point the animal will not drink, you
haven't gained anything.

This brings us to tinctures, the easier way to dose. A tincture is made by soaking herbs in alcohol and
can be done in a folk method or a carefully measured scientific method. In spite of the fact some peo-
ple will fight over the incorrectness of folk methods, they have worked for millenia for people around
the world and I find them to be the easiest. I simply soak a jar full of herb in either vodka or vegetable
glycerine for 2-6 weeks (depending on how patient I am), shaking it when I remember to do so. The
downside to this is that not all constituents of an herb are soluble in alcohol (or veg. glycerine) so you
don't get every little chemical in the herb, however, not all constituents are soluble in water either so
you miss some in teas also. The wonderful thing about tinctures is that doses are small, 10 drops to a
tablespoon, depending on weight of animal and how you made the tincture. This is a much more man-
ageable amount to get in an angry sheep's mouth! This can be the only way you find herbs for sale
so you may be forced to use this form.

Dried herbs can be powdered and either placed in boughten capsules or placed directly in the animal's
mouth, the dose is still 2 handfuls of fresh (more difficult to powder) or 1 handful of dried.

Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America 7

I like to harvest my own herbs (and this includes many woody species and roots, not just kitchen herbs
and spices) as I can then guarantee quality and my material hasn't been shipped across the country or
from a foreign country. Even organically grown herbs shipped from other countries are fumigated and
possibly irradiated as they cross borders. But I encourage anyone interested in doing this to be careful
to conserve critical species, critical habitats and respect private property. A list of endangered plants is
available from the DNR or ASCS office in your county. Sensitive habitats include wetlands and bogs or
highly erodible sites and motorized vehicles are not recommended in these areas. Plants should never
be harvested by roadways or near sprayed fields (use your common sense!).

If you cannot harvest your own or just want to buy them for ease of use, there are several websites
that offer high quality herbs and you may find local sources also. A guide to herbs helps you know
what you are getting, what it should look like and it's basic uses. In general, if an herb is listed as hav-
ing specific actions for humans, it will also have these actions in animals.

I do not like to simply substitute an herb for a pharmaceutical drug, I find this is not the best use of
herbal treatments. Instead, I like to find herbs that either have an affinity for an organ system or can
help the whole body detoxify and rebuild so I do not need a large pharmacy of herbs to find one that
will help in a certain situation.

I am going to list a few of my favorites and their uses but this is not a recommendation and people
wishing to use herbs should invest in books on herbs and their uses then experiment cautiously with
herbs that appeal to them. This is by no means a comprehensive list and I am going to stick mainly
with herbs you can grow or find locally, not ones that must be shipped from somewhere else. The
main problem I find with herbal livestock books is they are written for other countries and the herbs
listed are often not available here. This does not mean you cannot use native American or introduced
plants, you can!

Raspberry leaf (Rubus spp., including blackberry and dewberry): This herb has traditionally been used
in humans as a uterine tonic, an astringent for diarrhea and a drying agent for wounds and as a superb
blood cleanser. It serves the same purposes in sheep and has the advantage of tasting good, sheep
will eat this out of your hand, making your job easier (Levy 1991, Tierra 1998). I've used it for re-
tained placenta to help heal and strengthen the uterus (obviously, I then determined the reason for the
retention and corrected it before the next breeding season).

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): A powerful herb, easily found in most pastures. For wounds, this herb is
THE herb of choice, astringent, cleansing and its scent repels flies. I use it for all kinds of cuts and
bleeding scurs on rams in rut. Internally it helps promote fevers so cures by aiding the body in its own
fight against infections. More information can be found in Levy and Fischer-Rizzi.

Echinacea (Echinacea spp.): This herb has become popular as a cold remedy and immune booster but I
have found one of its best uses for any condition involving inflammation. It can be applied externally
as well as taken internally and I use the whole herb, not just the root. I've seen it work almost miracu-
lously in cases where there is sudden swelling and infection (heat) like infected surgical sites or inflamed
joints from infection. Worth growing in a plot or seeding into a pasture, it should not be used simply as
a way to continously boost weak immune systems without addressing the underlying cause. It can ex-
haust the system over time and do more harm than good.

Mints (Mentha spp.): Easy to find and wonderful aids to digestion, usually palatable to a sheep. The
essential oil can be used but should be diluted as it is irritating to the skin and mucous membranes
(Levy 1991). I have found that allowing the animal to sniff the peppermint essential oil is almost in-

8 Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale): This herb is now suspect for internal use in humans and I've not
found my sheep to like it in particular so I use it mainly externally for wounds, but never abscesses. It
promotes skin regeneration so well it will cause the abscess to seal up. Fischer-Rizzi describes several
species, only one of which should be used internally. For skin problems and broken bones it is unsur-
passed (Fischer-Rizzi 1996, Levy 1991).

Burdock (Arctium lappa): The root is traditionally used as a liver cleanser and all-around blood cleanser
and since the skin is an eliminative organ, when you see skin conditions, you should also remember that
internal eliminative systems will also be compromised and in need of cleansing. The leaf can be made
into a tea and applied externally to skin problems while the root can be used internally (Fischer-Rizzi
1996, Levy 1991).

Calendula (Calendula officinalis): Almost universally known as a skin healer, this herb also regenerates
skin and should not be used with an abscess. It will act as a bacteriostat, keeping bacteria from prolif-
erating and can be used internally to cleanse, especially if the lymph glands are swollen (a sign the body
is fighting a systemic infection) (Fischer-Rizzi 1996, Levy 1991, Wood 1997).

Willow (Salix spp.): The herbal forerunner to aspirin, this plant has the advantage of not causing stom-
ach irritation. It can be used for pain, inflammation and fever and most sheep will browse it readily.

Plaintain (Plantago spp.): Unbelievably common and useful for just about anything that ails ya! Exter-
nally it can be used as a cleanser and healer for just about any skin condition or injury while internally it
is a demulcent and good for diarrheas and mucous membranous conditions (coughs, etc). I find it
works best fresh and for winter use I freeze some leaves, drying them is a fine art, they attract mold
quicker than bread (Fischer-Rizzi 1996, Levy 1991).

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis): Because this herb has been overharvested to the point of rarity, I
always look for an organically grown product and don't attempt to harvest it myself. It is an antibiotic
and works on the liver system to help cleanse in infections. I use a few drops of the tincture in most
cases where a sheep seems to be ill and feverish. Because it is such a strong antibiotic, it should be
used internally for short periods only as it can upset the beneficial bacteria in the rumen. Externally, it
is wonderful for skin infections. Avoid using it with pregnant animals (Tierra 1998, Wood 1997).

This is a very brief listing and almost all plants have some medicinal uses. Allowing sheep to graze and
browse a pasture with mixed forbs, bushes, trees and grasses ensures they take in as many minerals
and vitamins as are available and can choose plants that will help heal them. Many other species can
be used to help return sheep to health, white oaks (Quercus spp.) are useful astringents while the
acorns are nutritive. Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra) bark is demulcent, nutritive and healing so these
trees should be treasured on a farm. Alders (Ulnus spp.) can be blood cleansing and sheep love to
browse them.

Learning to identify and use plants and trees to aid in restoring balance to your sheep can be fun, re-
warding and beneficial, not to mention cost-saving and easily available. Many good books on using
herbs and identifying native and introduced plants are available. Choose herb books by authors who
actually use the herbs, not just those that are repeating what was said in previous herbals as this can
give you new insights and tips on uses. As always, herbs are not a substitute for good pasture manage-
ment or care and a veterinarian's advice should be sought before undertaking any treatments. Some
herbs can mask problems (like willow reducing pain and inflammation) making it difficult for a vet to
diagnose conditions so use common sense in feeding herbs.

Works Cited:

Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America 9

Fischer-Rizzi, Susanne. Medicine of the Earth. OR: Rudra Press, 1996.

Spelman, Kevin. (2007). Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Look at Physiological Processes and
Therapies. Journal of the American Herbalists Guild, vol. 7/1 39-48.

Tierra, Michael. The Way of Herbs. NY: Simon and Schuster, 1998.

Wood, Matthew. The Book of Herbal Wisdom. CA: North Atlantic Books, 1997.

By Alethea Kenney, Reedbird Farm 25700 280th St. Shevlin, MN 56676 allie@reedbird.com
www.reedbird.com

The author has a B.S. in Wildlife Science and is finishing a doctor of naturopathy and herbology (N.D.).
She welcomes comments, experiences and questions and is always learning from her sheep and others'
experiences with theirs.

10 Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America