National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) has established a team of cross-disciplinary academics to promote incorporating Chinese herbal medicine into pet food, as many ingredients have been proven to benefit the health of animals.
While traditional Chinese herbs have been widely used by people for medical treatment, the team hopes to expand the scope of their application to animals, NTNU School of Life Science professor Lee Chung-hsin (李忠信) said last month.
Research has shown that diets involving certain medicinal herbs benefit animals’ health, Lee said, adding that using these herbs as health supplements can reduce the animals’ chances of developing illnesses at a later age, saving their owners the cost of treatment using Western medicine.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
For example, scientists have found that Chinese medicine made of ginseng, red sage, five-flavor berry and dwarf lilyturf boosts blood circulation around the heart tissue of laboratory mice and slows aging changes in the cells; while guilu (龜鹿) — turtle shell and deer horn extracts — ginseng and red sage are also effective in treating osteoporosis and maintaining contractile functions of animals’ skeletal muscles, he said.
The team also found that medicine benefiting gastrointestinal health addressed airway problems in pigs in a more effective way than feed containing antibiotics, a common tool in intensive animal farming to control and treat infectious diseases, Lee said.
National Taiwan University Veterinary Hospital doctor Lien Chien-min (連建閩) said that since the hospital launched healthcare services targeting age-related illnesses at the end of last year, it has been using Chinese medicinal herbs and acupuncture to slow down aging in pets, helping them live longer.
Veterinarian Huang Mei-jung (黃美蓉), an executive officer at a pet food company, said that all Chinese herbal medicine would be tested on animals before being introduced to the market.
This means that Chinese medicinal herbs that enter the market are safe for animals to consume, if given in proper amounts, Huang added.
A woman surnamed Chen (陳), who owns a nine-year-old dachshund, said that feeding her dog snacks made of Chinese medicinal herbs for one month greatly enhanced the animal’s physical strength and energy levels.
Another woman, surnamed Hu (胡), who followed a similar feeding regimen for her nine-year-old mixed-breed dog, said that the animal has a better appetite and healthier joints.
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