I'm a physician with an interest in evidence-based herbalism. I'm well aware that in medicine as well as herbalism "experience" and anecdotes can lead us astray, to the extent that useless and potentially hazardous treatments are kept alive in the face of solid research indicating otherwise. Medicine back in the days of Hippocrates believed that disease was caused by an imbalance in the "four humors" of the body. Those beliefs were deservedly discarded long ago. It seems that "herbology science" is still clinging to "hot or cold, wet or dry, excess or deficient condition" to explain disease - which is an unfortunate relic of the past. "Even if you don't mean to be, do you realize your posts come across antagonistic, demeaning and contentious?" In the past, some posters in this forum have taken the tack that disagreement with their beliefs is an attack on them as a person, and responded with personal critiques and insults. In your post in the thread about wormwood dangers you stated (without referring to the warnings others had posted) that your wormwood tonics were safe. Should I have regarded that as antagonistic, contentious and demeaning to my beliefs and responded accordingly? Instead, I asked you some followup questions and presented more evidence. I hope our interactions can be maintained on a level of civility and calm exchange.

My grandfather was a herbalist, not professional,, but very knowledgeable. For stomach problems - and sleeplessness a few drops of tincture of Valerian on a cube of sugar was the remedy - and believe or not, I used it sometime now for restlessness and it works and taste just the way it did whenI was a kid. Hot compresses of vinegar water around the neck, covered with something water-proof and then a wrap of a wool-scarf was the remedy for sore throat - I hated it! That wool-scarf got so scratchy by and by! Chamomile or peppermint tea for stomach upsets. Hydrogen peroxide as first aid for cuts and scrapes - still my first disinfectant in the medicine cabinet. Comfort food; farina (cream of wheat) lightly toasted, thinned with broth (Angebrannte Griess Suppe) I still have it at times. My sister acquired pin-worms once and was treated with enemas of milk and garlic. There was a cough syrup made of hollowed out carrots, filled with brown crystal sugar, the juice was very nice, the winter cod-liver oil not so much. Spring-time Grandfather would gather the whole family for a purifying tea to thin the blood, even my father got caught in that one several times.

He's not in any pain but I wouldn't be exercising him on feet like that. He doesn't limp and if he was hurting, he would. Also, his appetite hasn't slowed down one iota. He is constantly eating....his feed 3x a day and hay, all the time. The vet agreed with what I am feeding him and the fact that I am feeding him often. It will be two more days before I make his update pictures. I bathed him yesterday, prior to going to the vet. It was warm. He has some kind of substance all over his legs, up to his knees. I thought it was mud but it has been hard to get off. It also looked like dried blood from biting flies, but that would have washed off easily. He is fairly banged up from being at the KP with all those other horses, and also the way they haul them from the auction, packed so tightly with other horses in the trailers.

My boys inherited the ability to develop earwax plugs from their father. I didn't even know such a thing existed. One nurse said to squirt a 1:1 ratio of warm water and hydrogen peroxide into the ear. I use a syringe with a special tip that I bought at a pharmacy. Sometimes I get huge gobs of ear wax out. My middle son had a plug I couldn't get out last week so I had to take him in to the doctor. It was stuck fast. Even the doctor had a hard time getting it out. I have a little lighted device that I bought from the pharmacy that allows me to look into my kid's ears. The old ear wax is black. Normal eardrums look clear. An infected eardrum is red.