Here, on our blog, I
hope to share my experiences and knowledge of working with Canines using the
observational scientific approach called Zoopharmacognosy.
I know, it's a long
word, in fact ridiculously long for the simple concept that it describes.
Basically, broken down in ancient Greek it means, Zoo = Animal, Pharma = Drug, Cognosy =
knowing. So put together it means 'animals knowing their own drug'.
 |
| The first thoroughly researched and documented case of Zoopharmacognosy was on a chimp with diarrhoea |
The word was coined by
Prof Eloy Rodriquez from Cornell University, NY, and sums up the animal’s
ability to self-medicate as they have been since life began. And I suppose,
when you think about it, it makes sense because people and animals must have
had some way of surviving and evolving before doctors and vets became the norm.
Recently there has been much research on this concept due to the
worlds somewhat urgent need to discover new medicines due to the decline of the
efficacy of anti-biotics. Leaders in the field include Proff Huffman attached
to Kyoto University, Japan.
So how do dogs do this?
Animals have a secondary
olfactory organ which gives them the ability to scent far superior to our own –
and in the case of dogs specifically bred for hunting actually 360 times
greater. It is located above the roof of the mouth at the back and is called
the Vomeronasal Organ.
This organ enables them to identify specific
constituents within the plants that they need to restore health – these
constituents are produced by the plant as part of their own healthcare and
defence system. The VNO plays its part by being connected to the limbic region
of the brain which influences physiological, hormonal and behavioural activity.
This clever process is mediated by smell and taste – the more the animal needs
it the better the smell and taste. When the animal has had enough the smell is
unwanted and the taste becomes bitter. In the human world this would be
something similar to cravings experienced during pregnancy.
I heard of one pregnant
lady munching away on a box of blackboard chalk ! Perhaps for the calcium?
Anyone reading this that doesn't know what a black board is - ask your grandmother !
Thank you for reading Canine Herbal Health's first blog - I hope you enjoyed it!
Carly
Carly
