Glossary of Organic Terms
Organic Toolbox
A) Aloe vera
- External use on burns, wounds and skin inflammation
- Orally to stimulate immune system
- Orally has a laxative effect
- Orally to heal abdominal ulcers or rumenitis
- Pelleted (with kelp) – prevention or treatment of pneumonia, shipping fever
B) Tinctures
- Made by drawing out chemically organic (carbon based) compounds into alcohol
- Can be made from a very wide variety of plants
- Tinctures can be prepared using multiple plants simultaneously to provide a synergistic effect
- Administered on mucus membranes (mouth, vagina) or IV in a carrier such as dextrose
- Available for a wide variety of applications
C) Botanicals
- Made by using parts of the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or fruits of plants
- Can be made by grinding and blending ingredients and putting in a gelatin capsule or feeding to animals
D) Kelp
- Ground up dried seaweed
- Excellent source of available trace minerals
- Especially good source of iodine
- Can be fed directly and is available with aloe – Lancaster AG’s Aloe C pellets
E) Fluids
- Dextrose – source of energy and an excellent carrier for IV use of tinctures, colostral whey and Vitamin C – must be given IV
- 23% calcium – available source of calcium for treatment of milk fever and grass tetany and downer acidosis cows. Can be given IV or sub-q
- Hypertonic saline – 7 times the concentration of blood. Useful in shock and dehydration to increase blood volume. Relies on animal to drink water after administration. If animals don’t drink after treatment they can be drenched with 5-10 gallons of warm water.
- Normal saline-same concentration as blood. Useful as a carrier for other products.
F) Vitamins
- Vitamin B Complex-normally these are produced in adequate supply in the rumen. Giving 12-24 cc to cows IM or sub-q or in fluids can be beneficial in cases of poor rumen function. May help to improve appetite. Thiamine (vitamin B1 ) is used to treat polioencephalomalacia in calves. Super or Fortified or Forte B Complex contains 100 mg of thiamine as opposed to 12.5 mg in regular B complex.
- Vitamin AD and E –these are the fat soluble vitamins that are vital for many enzymatic functions. These can be administered once and effect will persist.
- Vitamin C-a water soluble vitamin that is an excellent anti-oxidant. It is rapidly cleared from the body so it needs to be administered often (2-3 times per day ). Very useful in cases of infections , toxemias or liver and metabolic problems.
- Vitamin B12-a source of cobalt. Useful in cases of anemia, blood loss, liver disease or chronic inflammation.
- Vitamin K- required for production of some of the clotting factors. Used in cases of blood loss such as injury, ulcers and bloody quarters .
G) Minerals
- Macro minerals-these are the minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sodium and chloride that are used in large quantities in the body to provide cellular and body structure, maintain proper osmolality of body fluid and enable the function of the electrical systems. These are usually provided by the feed but supplementation is needed.
- Micro (trace) minerals-used in small amounts in countless metabolic and enzymatic pathways. Some, such as selenium , copper, manganese and zinc can be found in the injectable Multimin but most would be gotten from feed. Kelp and humates are two excellent sources of available trace minerals.
H) Probiotics
- Bacterial-these are beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, that are given orally to provide viable cells to maintain the proper flora of the gut. Bacteria in the gut are vital to maintain proper digestion and serve a role in assisting the immune system. When choosing a product it is important to maximize the number of viable organisms, expressed as billions of CFU (colony forming units). A large diversity of organisms is also preferred. These come in pastes , powders and boluses. Yogurt would be an example of these.
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Yeasts- cultures of these and their byproducts are very useful in providing a culture for the rumen, providing B vitamins and trace minerals and counteracting the effects of molds and mycotoxins in the feed. Diamond-V Yeast would be a very good example. These are very palatable so they can be top-dressed of administered in boluses.
I) Whey Products and Antiserums
- Colostral whey products are made by purifying the whey fraction of the colostrums of super- immunized cows. These provide antibodies and non-specific immune mediators that greatly stimulate the recipient’s immune system. These can come in powder or bolus form to be given orally or in liquid form to be given sub-q or IV. A very useful tool in handling infectious diseases and endotoxic conditions.
- Commercial antisera, such as Polyserum or Quatracon 2X are purified antibodies that provide assistance in dealing with certain common pathogens. These are given as a treatment or can be given as a temporary preventative. Tetanus antitoxin would also be an example of this.
J) Essential Oils
- This large class of chemically organic compounds come from plants and have properties that can stimulate many systems in very small quantities.
- There is natural synergy that occurs within theses essential oils that make it difficult for microbes to develop resistance to them.
- Used externally but are capable of absorbing through the skin.
- As a linament they are used extensively in mastitis and udder crèmes.
- Works wonders on external parasite control.
- Rapid expansion in this area predicted in the near future.
K) Homeopathy
- Extensively used in human and animal medicine in Europe
- Use of a greatly diluted component placed on sugar pellets that are administered on a mucous membrane surface. The dilution is so great that we are dealing with just the energies of the parent product.
- Vaccinations can also be accomplished with these- they are referred to as nosodes.
L) Antioxidants-
- This class of compounds are vital in enabling the body to handle free radicals that are produced during tissue damage and inflammation.
- They would be included in the categories above, especially vitamins, tinctures and botanicals.