In a world where pharmaceutical companies dominate the conversation around health and wellness, herbs and plants are often labelled as “alternative medicine.” But let’s take a step back to observe this statement, what are they alternative to? Before modern pharmaceuticals, before mass-produced pills and synthetic compounds, plants were the only medicine available. They are the original medicine.
The History of Medicinal Plants
For thousands of years, people across the world relied on plants for healing. Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks, and Indigenous cultures all had extensive knowledge of medicinal herbs. They understood how plants could be used to treat infections, ease pain, and support their overall health. Not just for humans either, but for animals too.
Traditional systems like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are still rooted in this understanding today. Many of the pharmaceuticals we use now are actually derived from plants. Aspirin? Derived from willow bark. Some veterinary pain relief drugs are based on similar compounds. Digoxin, a heart medication? Comes from foxglove, which has been used for centuries in both human and animal medicine.
These plants around us that grow wildly, aren't there just for show. There is a deeply rooted meaning to why they grow in particular areas and the time of year, too. They are there to support our health through the seasons, just as we need them.
The Industrial Shift
The shift away from plant-based medicine wasn’t because herbs stopped working. Instead, the pharmaceutical industry found ways to isolate and synthesise active compounds for profit. While this has benefits, like standardised dosages and easier accessibility, it also comes with consequences. Isolated compounds can have more side effects than the whole plant, where nature often balances potency with supportive elements. As a whole plant, all the compounds balance each other out, making them much safer and beneficial.
Pharmaceuticals also tend to focus on treating symptoms rather than the root causes of illness, whereas herbal medicine often works holistically, supporting the body’s natural healing processes.
Science is Catching Up
For a long time, plant medicine was dismissed as unscientific, but research is beginning to validate what herbalists and holistic vets have known for centuries. Mushrooms are currently a big topic and more research is going into them. Medicinal mushrooms like reishi and lion’s mane are being studied for their effects on canine immunity and brain function.
The irony? When science “discovers” these benefits, it’s often treated as a breakthrough, when in reality, these plants have been healing animals for a long, long time.
Reclaiming Plant Medicine for Dogs
It’s time to change the narrative. Herbs and plants are not some mystical alternative to real medicine, they are medicine. While pharmaceuticals have their place for sure, they shouldn’t be seen as superior by default. Instead of pitting nature against modern medicine, we should embrace both, using plants as a foundation for canine health and turning to pharmaceuticals when necessary and in very serious, emergency cases.
So next time ,when someone calls herbal remedies “alternative,” remind them: plants were here long before we were, and they will continue to provide healing long after trends and industries change. They are not the alternative; they are the origin, just as true for dogs as it is for humans.