Meadowsweet Herbs is situated in the picturesque countryside of West Gippsland, in Victoria, Australia.
Managing Director and Natural Therapies Consultant for Meadowsweet Herbs, Lesley Antoniadou, established Meadowsweet Herbs in 1996.
After a life long practice of using natural supplements and herbal remedies on all her animals, Lesley found there was a void in the marketplace for good quality herbal supplements that the average owner could afford and access, and more importantly a point of contact providing information on how natural therapies could be used to enhance and maintain good health for animals in particular horses and dogs.
Lesley’s studies of Natural Therapies have included herbal medicine, natural nutrition, herbology, aromatherapy, homoeopathy, tissue salts, flower essences and natural pasture management.
Meadowsweet Herbs is a family owned and operated business, and we pride ourselves on our total service for customers who wish to keep their animals in good health and vitality the ‘natural way’.
The backbone of the business has always been our reliable help-line; we offer this as a free service not only to all our customers and stockists, but to anyone who would like to know more of the practice of natural therapies and nutrition for animals.
Not only can we advise on the products within our large range of herbal blends for horses and dogs, but we are happy to advise also on the use of alternative therapies including Homoeopathy, Aromatherapy, Tissue Salts, pasture management and the benefits of feeding ‘naturally’.
After a free consultation with one of our consultants, we can even formulate a herbal blend to suit your individual needs, however we do carry a large range of pure herbal blends that suit a vast array of areas that have been tried, tested and proven effective over the last 10 yrs.
The superior consistent quality of Meadowsweet Herbs’ range of natural supplements and availability to qualified information and advice on all products and natural therapies is what sets Meadowsweet Herbs apart from all the rest.
In addition to our pure herbal blends, we also carry one of the largest selections of premium grade dried herbs specifically for animals.
(please note, not all herbs are suitable for use on all animals!)
All Meadowsweet Herbs products are manufactured in Australia. We source only the finest quality raw materials from established and selected Australian and international suppliers, and we can guarantee that when you use any of the Meadowsweet Herbs products, it will be of the highest standard, backed with professional service every time.Our raw ingredients are selected and thoroughly tested for their purity and consistency of grade. ensuring that no raw ingredient is treated with any chemical to avoid toxic residue.
[No herbs used in any of our formulations or supplied as single herbs are treated with the Chemical gas Ethylene Oxide. This is a banned substance for use in food/oral grade human herbs, but can be deemed fine for animal grade feed stuffs, and unfortunately herbs treated with this chemical are sold to unsuspecting buyers as lower grade herbs, the old saying ‘you get what you pay' for ring true here].
Our strong stance on being ‘chemical free’ and ensuring the ‘finest’ quality at all times is what has kept Meadowsweet Herbs’ as the leading name in natural, herbal and plant based therapies for animals, available and manufactured on the Australian market today.
We think that as informed owners and carers you should be aware of everything that goes into the making of your animals supplements, and so with all products in the Meadowsweet Herbs range, every ingredient is clearly listed with precise directions for dose rate and usage, if it’s not on the label its not in the product.
At Meadowsweet Herbs we strongly believe that your animals deserve only the very best that nature intended.
"Leave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal your patient with food!"
Hippocrates, 5th century B.C.
An introduction to Natural Therapies for Equines©
There are many modalities that come under the heading of Alternative Therapies.
- Herbal, Homoeopathy and Flower Essence are primarily plant based.
- Acupuncture, Laser and Chiropractic are physical therapies.
At Meadowsweet Herbs we believe our horses should have the same access as we do to the increasing availability of Alternative Therapies.
The use of herbs for their therapeutic benefits is recorded as far back as we can go, Animals have always had the ability to self-administer - watch them carefully, you will be amazed at what you will learn.
Many of today’s conventional medicines originated from herbs. Pharmaceutical and chemical companies selectively isolate the active component. Some do this from the plant itself, others reproduce it synthetically, unfortunately, whilst utilizing the active property may make for faster results, balance is lost.
A good example of this is with the herb Meadowsweet [Filipendula ulmaria]. Salicylates, which are the anti-inflammatory components, were first extracted from this plant in 1830.
Some 60 years later ’Bayer’ the pharmaceutical company produced acetylsalicylate, a similar substance artificially.
This new drug was called ASPRIN, after the old Latin botanical name for meadowsweet ’Filipendula ulmaria’. This new wonder drug was embraced by the modern world.
But it has been found when ASPRIN is used over long periods it can cause significant damage to the stomach lining, resulting in ulcers and intestinal bleeding.
The whole herb meadowsweet as part of its natural chemistry, not only has Salicylates with their anti-inflammatory properties it also has components to prevent and assist with peptic ulcers and dyspepsia [impaired digestive function], by naturally reducing stomach acids.
In meadowsweet nature has produced the perfect balance.
Horses are herbivores with a highly tuned system that naturally utilizes vegetation and plant species when digested. Naturally derived vitamins and minerals found in herbs are generally better absorbed, stored and used more efficiently than synthetic vitamins and minerals.
In addition to supplying vitamins and minerals, many herbs have the ability to assist with cleansing the system. In today’s world of poor air quality, heavily treated soils and chemical crop sprays, this fact alone means the addition of herbs into your horses diet has to be a bonus.
In their natural state, wild horses can cover on average 32 kilometers per day whilst grazing.
As they travel they graze pastures that are diverse in natural vegetation. In comparison, our domesticated horses are limited to what we as owners can provide.
Today’s horses are exposed to new health challenges that were not present even as recently as a decade ago. Soils and pastures have been leached of valuable nutrients; this has a direct impact on crops and hay that are utilized in the feeds we give to our horses. Domesticated horses are totally dependant on us as owners and trainers, to provide these nutrients that they would naturally seek, to keep them in good health and vitality.
Under normal /natural conditions, not every horse requires the addition of extra vitamins and minerals, as their bodies make their own vitamin B, C, D and K. Only A and E are required to be supplied through feed. Unfortunately very few horses these days live under normal/natural conditions. There are many conditions that place added demands on the horses system.
Competition, travel, education, can all lead to stress as well as physical demands. Old age, illness and injury, prolonged exposure to drug’s can place strain on the digestive and immune system’s.
Pesticides and chemicals used on pastures are more areas of increased demand. Periods of growth, pregnancy and lactation are times when added vitamins and minerals are required to maintain a healthy condition. All that without even taking into account the area’s that they live, weather conditions as in prolonged droughts or unusually wet/cold seasons.
Herbal supplements have the added advantage of addressing the body as a whole.
Take for example a horse that has a skin condition. This is taken as a sign of toxicity or imbalance within the bodies system; this affects not only the skin, the ‘visible’ sign, but also the liver, kidney and spleen. Most conventional treatments concentrate on the skin surface, with the application of creams and lotions, or with injections and powders of cortisone to tone down the visible reaction.
They do not address the toxins that are in the system, responsible for the condition in the first place. By addressing the condition through the whole body, herbs cannot only remove the visible signs of a skin condition, but also prevent its reoccurrence.
Ph: (61) 03 5627 6234 | Fax: (61) 03 5627 6239 | Email: help@meadowsweetherbs.com.au
International Enquiries: admin@meadowsweetherbs.com.au
Meadowsweet Herbs®™, Naturally the Best ®™ are registered Trade Marks and subject to copyright©
PROUDLY 100% AUSTRALIAN OWNED and OPERATED
Disclaimer- the information contained within this website is for general information purposes and not intended to take the place of Veterinary advice