Western Herbal Veterinary Medicine
Now offering a Western herbal medicine prescription on referral from primary vet.
What are herbal medicines?
Herbal medicines are products using plants and plant extracts for their medicinal purposes. Before the advent of modern pharmaceuticals, many plants were used as medicine due to the compounds they contain (phytochemicals) having biological effects when taken by mouth or applied to the skin.
What's included with the treatment?
Initial physical consultation with you and your pet in your own home, including medical and lifestyle assessment, followed by a bespoke herbal blend created specifically for your pet’s needs. Follow up consultations may be online or face-to-face depending on circumstances. Repeat prescriptions can be ordered and either posted or delivered depending on availability.
What does it cost?
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Initial examination and assessment* £68
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Follow up examination* £62
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Telephone/video follow up £25
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Initial formulation fee (to create the first blend) £30
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Reformulation fee (to change a recipe) £25
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Repeat blend fee £15
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Herbal tincture blend 50ml/100ml/500ml £6/12/45
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Dried herbs varies
*may be subject to travel surcharge
Prices correct as of 27th July 2026
What is the evidence for the use of herbal medicines?
The majority of modern medicines have been derived from these plant extracts, either by isolating the active compound from the original plant and enhancing its effects by combining it with other chemicals, or by studying the properties of the compounds and creating artificial compounds with the same biological effects.
There is, therefore, alongside a lot of historical observations, a large body of scientific evidence for how most of these compounds work both in laboratory settings and in real animals including humans. Many studies show a synergistic effect from taking the compounds in their ‘original’ form rather than as a synthetically created pill, as the plant will contain many hundreds of chemicals which act together to enhance their effects compared to the isolated chemical, or in some cases balance out potential side effects.
How safe are herbal medicines?
Most of the herbs we prescribe have a very good safety record, but it is important to realise that herbs are not generically, by nature ‘safe’. Many plants are known poisons, for example Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade) is a nervous system toxin, digitalis (Foxglove) can cause heart arrhythmias. These plants have been used medicinally for these same effects but without proper knowledge of how to process and dose them, use can be fatal. Some plants have effects similar to conventional drugs and therefore dosing alongside can cause overdosing effects.
For these reasons it is important that your primary vet is kept informed of any herbal medicines your pet is taking, to ensure they do not prescribe anything that is likely to interact with the herbs. I will always require express permission from the animal’s primary vet and up to date medical records before prescribing a herbal medicine, and I will keep your vet informed of any herbs I prescribe.
What herbs will my pet have?
It is important for me to spend time with you and your pet and perform a thorough physical examination before prescribing herbs. This will allow me to choose a selection of herbs most suited to helping your pet with their main health problems, based on the phytochemical actions that are present in each plant. I will then create a bespoke recipe for your pet and dispense a small volume initially so that you can see how they get on with it. It can take 4-6 weeks to see any changes with herbal medicine, so once we are happy they are taking it well I will dispense a larger volume. Like any medicine, individual reactions can be very different so if we are not fully happy with the response I can tweak the recipe depending on your pet’s response. If they develop new health conditions I may want to add in extra herbs or take some out.
How do I give the herbs to my pet?
The majority of the time we prescribe herbs in the form of tinctures which are added to food. Herbal tinctures are herbs that have been preserved in alcohol. This improves their action and extends their activity, but they are strong-tasting and can take some time for the animal to get used to. We usually recommend to start with a low dose and build up to the therapeutic dose gradually.
Sometimes we supply creams or poultices for external conditions, and in the case of small herbivores such as rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. the dried plants are well accepted as a tasty treat, and readily absorbed.
