Pasture Herbs

[xfactor fan]

Ran across two herbs that are supposed to work.

Mullen--for lung health
Dandelion--liver and is a mild diuretic.

Don't suppose anyone needs to plant Dandelion--but the question is do horses eat them? Deer apparently eat Mullen without harm.

[karenkarenn]

My horses do. But only in spring time. And our walmart is no selling the plants. Why I don't know.

But that Dandelion does work well on humans. I take it.
http://www.safergrass.org/pdf/Founder_FodderWeeds.pdf

look at the second page.

[xfactor fan]

Are you talking about Mullen? Or Dandelion that Walmart doesn't sell? Don't know about mullen, but in many places Dandelion is classified as a weed, and you aren't supposed to plant it. Though exactly how this is would be enforced is a mystery.

[karenkarenn]

Nope I mean the weed, Dandelion.
And yes Dandelion is sold at walmart. I called and they said yes because many people here are buying them to make their own root sup.
Don't ask me how they are but its a hit over here cause I don't know. Our horse eat dandelions, they like em and I use the pills for Liver Support.

[oleos93]

When my horses got sick last week I was looking for a web site I saw a while back on these types of weeds you have listed....I finally found the site and even though I could not find Dandelion on it this time I do recall seeing it on there the last time I read it....so it is common I believe.

Here is the link to the site. This writer is a DVM in Texas and sells these hurbs.


http://www.holistichorsekeeping.com/res ... ulcer.html

[xfactor fan]

The idea for pasture herbs is that they can be seeded into the pasture and let the horses self medicate.

Interesting about your horses eating dandelion in the spring. One of thre traditional uses for the herb is a "spring tonic" to pep up the system after eating stored food over the winter. High in vitamine C too.

So the herbs in question need to be non toxic and well behaved.

[karenkarenn]

That makes sense alot of sense about the horses eating them in the Spring. And I didn't know that they had C.
Learn something new everyday.

[oleos93]

Not the same as pasture herbs but I was once told by an old Native American that if we pay attention horses do self medicate on things that we feel they shouldn't. He told me that cotton wood trees are a natural de wormer and if they have access to one they will eat it's bark when they feel the need.

When xfactor said self medicate it made me think of that...not sure how much truth there is to it but is interesting.