What is Western Herbal Medicine?

Plants are full of medicinal compounds; about 80% of medicines in pharmacies were originally sourced from plants.

Conventional medicine isolates and extracts a single 'active ingredient' from a plant. This makes it easier to measure and test its effect on a patient in a controlled setting.

Herbal medicine uses crude extracts of plants, with multiple active ingredients working in synergy.

Often we combine extracts from a few plants together. We use traditional knowledge of the plant and the ever-expanding evidence-based data to formulate our herbal medicines.

Taking a more traditional approach to illness, herbal medicine aims to treat the root cause of the illness. For example, a dog may present for skin disease, but when we delve deeper, we find they have underlying poor gut health and anxiety.

To treat the skin, we need to also treat the gut and anxiety. While many patients will have these three conditions, they all present slightly differently and will each get different herbal formulas.

Dr. Emily Warfield is an experienced veterinarian who is part of the Niddrie Vet Clinic team. She is available for consultation on Mondays and Wednesdays for any and all concerns you have with your pets of all ages. 

Emily has an interest in Western Herbal medicine. After undergoing further training in this field, she is excited to be able to offer this option through her business 'The Wellness Vet'.

Herbal medicine is an excellent option for pets with multiple issues, recurrent illnesses, or families with concerns about conventional medications and their side effects.

What does treatment involve?

Your first step is to book a consultation with Dr. Emily Warfield at Niddrie Vet Clinic. We may also ask you to fill out a questionnaire about your pet.

Supplements or medication may be dispensed directly from the Niddrie Vet Clinic pharmacy. Whilst her herbal medicine is dispensed and invoiced from 'The Wellness Vet.' 

We recommend starting your pet on a fresh food diet if you are using herbal medicine. This could be home prepared raw or cooked food, fresh meat with added supplements or a dog friendly meal subscription service.