Herb Corner

By Gudrun Maybaum - Bird Nutrition Consultant

White Willow:-
The first one that mentioned White Willow as a fever and pain remedy was the Greek physician Dioscorides in the first century A.D.

Over the centuries the list of its uses expanded. In 1830
researchers isolated Salicin and its derivative salicylic
acid from the White Willow that was the prototype of aspirin. But taking White Willow instead is milder on the stomach and natural.

It is used for reducing fever, chills, headaches, rheumatism and is a valued nerve sedative. Its strong antiseptic abilities help fight infections in wounds, ulcerations, and eczema. I use it whenever there are injuries for its anti-inflammatory effects.

Cayenne:-
I don’t know where to start with cayenne. It has so many
values that it is almost scary. Never use it in cooked form, but used raw or as powder or tincture it can work miracles in a lot of cases.

I have used it on birds that were in shock due to injury, birds that had a stroke, on wounds to stop the bleeding and a lot more. I was shocked every time how fast the condition changed for the better.

It is said to be blood cleansing, warding of and equalizing
blood circulation, increasing the heart action, but not the blood pressure, prevents strokes and heart attacks.

In emergency situations I use the powder or tincture. As a food for my birds I buy the habanero peppers. I actually have always a bottle of the tincture with me. Cayenne is high in vitamin A, a lot of birds have a Vitamin A deficiency, Vitamin C, iron and calcium.

Aloe Vera:-
I think everybody should have this plant in the house. A real first aid plant for a lot of occasions, it helped my birds and I in so many ways it would take hours to describe all of them. It has the ability to regenerate and stimulate the growth of damaged tissue and heal wounds, bruises and irritations faster.

Aloe not only prevents and draws out infections, but relieves pain quickly. It is reputed to heal internal tissue that has been damaged by X-rays or radiation and contains antibiotic properties. Taken internally, it is a very detoxifying remedy.Whenever I, or any of my birds have a wound, the first thingI do is pour some Aloe Vera Gel over it. I prefer the gel over the juice. The inner leaf latex contains a violent purgative, which the birds avoid eating when offered the whole plant. But the juice is made from the whole plant and contains this purgative.

I think due to our environment (and our birds) we are exposed to enough radiation that we can use a dosage of aloe vera gel or a bite of the plant every once a while and don’t forget, it’s not just for the birds!

Peppermint:-
Giving a fresh taste to salads, peppermint also acts to
stimulate the nerves, brings oxygen in the blood stream,
helps strengthen the bowel, is a sedative on the stomach,
soothing to the system and lots more. It contains
vitamin A and C and magnesium, potassium, niacin, copper, iodine, silicon, iron and sulphur.

Most birds love it chopped up in their cooked food or sprinkled over their dried food. Some need some time to develop a taste for it, but so do we!?

Slippery Elm Bark Powder:-
Can re-establish harmony in inflamed intestines within hours to a day. Put in water or juice becomes a mucilage, a slippery and very soothing substance with a high nutritional value.

It coats, protects and rejuvenates the areas that it reaches from irritations such as inflammation and infections. At the same time it absorbs impurities and toxins and helps them to pass harmlessly out of the body, while nourishing the whole body and assisting the activity of the adrenal glands.

I have given Slippery Elm with Aloe Vera for different cases of poisoning, with Plantain tea for crop infections, on open wounds with Plantain and White Willow Tincture. It worked every time very fast.

Chamomile:-
I call it the soft power herb. As a tea it is very calming for the nerves and soothing when sprayed on itchy skin (it’s said to have a natural hormone which rejuvenates the skin). It has a little vitamin A, but lots of calcium and magnesium.

Basil:-
Basil smells good, but fly’s don’t like it. I always have a plant in my kitchen window and add it to salads and tomato sauce and sometimes to the birds food.

It supposed to have antibacterial and antispasmodic properties and draw out poisons from wasp, hornet stings and venomous bites.

Basil contains vitamins A, D and B2. Important for our birds it contains lots of calcium, phosphorus, iron and magnesium.

Echinacea:-
Echinacea stimulates and enhances the immune response and helps so the body can overcome invasions of virus and bacteria. It increases the production of white blood cells which attack infections. In increasing the activities of the immune system it increases the ability of the body to cleanse and repair itself and drain toxins out of the body. Tenney calls it “the King of the Blood Purifiers”. I use it mainly for preventative cases and in combination with other herbs.

Kelp:-
The nearly 30 minerals found in kelp are very plentiful. They aid weak digestion systems, help to prevent and supposedly overcome goiter, help to rebuild and maintain the function of the glands – especially the thyroid and aids the brain development. Kelp has the reputation of speeding up the burning of excess calories and stimulating the metabolism. It has beneficial effects on many disorders of the body.

It is especially rich in iodine, calcium, sulfur and silicon. Kelp also contains phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium, chlorine, copper, zinc, manganese, barium, boron, chromium, lithium, nickel, silver, titanium, vanadium, aluminum, strontium, bismuth, cobalt, gallium, tin and zirconium. Besides vitamin A, C, E and K it contains the anti-sterility vitamin S and the, not often found, anti-hemorrhage vitamin K.

Sometimes chewing on feathers is a sign of a lack of minerals and can be helped with kelp. Black feather tips can also be a sign of iodine deficiency. I also hear quite a bit about thyroid dysfunction these days, mostly due to lack of iodine. That is why my birds get kelp on a regular basis.

Parsley:-
Parsley is a very nutritious herb that, when eaten on a regular basis, increases resistance to infections and disease. It is high in vitamin B and potassium and has been used as a cancer preventative because it is supposed to have a substance in which cancerous cells can not multiply. It is said to be a blood builder and has a tonic effect on the urinary system. Parsley also contains a lot of chlorophyll, iron and vitamin A and C.

Garlic:-
Other names for garlic are Russian penicillin or nature’s antibiotic. Garlic is considered a medical plant and it is one of the most researched and intensively studied plants for its anticancer and cardiovascular effects. Some of fresh garlic’s constituents are allicin, aliin, and sulfur. They have a very strong antibiotic action that can kill bacteria and many viruses. Combined with Cayenne it is a remarkable infection fighter for inside as well as outside wounds. Garlic also sooths the nerves and boosts the immune system.

It is important that the garlic is used raw and fresh. Some of the properties dissolve within 24 hours when they are exposed to oxygen. Which means garlic oil and garlic powder are just not as good as raw garlic. The strong smelling breath can be lessened by mixing it with or eating some parsley afterwards.

Alfalfa:-
The Alfalfa leaves are loaded with health building properties. Their contents are not only balanced for complete absorption, but they help assimilate protein, calcium and other nutrients, break down poisonous carbon dioxide, clean the body, fight infections, balance hormones, eases inflammation and work as a natural deodorizer.

Alfalfa leafs which are the richest land source of trace minerals, eliminate retained water from the body and relieve urinary problems. Its enzymes are supposed to neutralize cancer in the system.

The high contents in Vitamin A, K, and D, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium and eight essential enzymes make it one of the most wholesome plants we have on this earth. It also contains B-complex , chlorophyll, amino acids, copper, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, alpha- and beta-carotene.

I add it 2-3 times a week to my bird food and we are adding it to our ‘Beak Treat’ seed mixes. The slightly toxic amino acid present in the seeds can be eliminated by sprouting them.

All Articles Reprinted with the Kind Permission of The Author Gunrun Maybaum
Bird Nutrition and Herb Consultant

Website:-http://www.beaktreats.com/