Interesting "Herbal Medicine" Video on Facebook

[GreenhornBunnyGirl]

Hello fellow farmers!

One thing I've always found fascinating is learning how farming practices differ around the world. On Facebook, I've friended an Indonesian rabbit farmer and saw them post an interesting video about a herbal medicine supplement they give their rabbits once a week. It has English captions, so I could understand what it said.

They use it during the rainy season to help keep help their rabbit's immune systems against the poor weather. The video also claims it helps stimulate appetite, so the young rabbits will eat more and grow faster. It consists of ground ginger root, kenkur (aka sand ginger, aromatic ginger, or cutcherry), turmeric, and brown sugar that is ground/mashed, boiled, strained, and put into typical rabbit water bottles for them to drink.

What are your thoughts on the mixture? Do you think it'd truly help in the ways it claims?


Facebook is a double edged sword; sometimes it can give us new and wonderful ideas but other times it can spread misinformation. But, for such an intensive process, the poster must truly find there's some benefit in making this for their rabbits. Otherwise, they wouldn't go through all the trouble. And the rabbits seem to quite enthusiastically drink it up.

This naturalist mixture could appeal to rabbit farmers who want to give their rabbits and organic alternative to vitamin mixtures and supplements commonly offered! And if nothing else...it's interesting!

 

[Mckatie]

Hello fellow farmers!

One thing I've always found fascinating is learning how farming practices differ around the world. On Facebook, I've friended an Indonesian rabbit farmer and saw them post an interesting video about a herbal medicine supplement they give their rabbits once a week. It has English captions, so I could understand what it said.

They use it during the rainy season to help keep help their rabbit's immune systems against the poor weather. The video also claims it helps stimulate appetite, so the young rabbits will eat more and grow faster. It consists of ground ginger root, kenkur (aka sand ginger, aromatic ginger, or cutcherry), turmeric, and brown sugar that is ground/mashed, boiled, strained, and put into typical rabbit water bottles for them to drink.

While I have not used that particular mix of herbs; I will say that I do use a lot of herbs and natural remedies' for myself and my animals (mostly the rabbits and dogs). Having said that, I'm not a veterinarian, nor a practicing vet tech. However, people often give their rabbits herbs (often called weeds) without realizing all of the wonderful benefits.

For example:
Dandelions - flower, leaves and roots are all edible. The Dandelion is a spring tonic that can cleanse your whole body.In China and India the dandelion root is used to cool the liver and used as a liver tonic - Jaundice, hepatitis, boils, abscesses. In the winter the tea is used to flush out the waste, the toxins, recharge digestion, relieves water retention,helps with mood swings. Dandelion has diuretic,antibacterial properties, is antirheumatic, good for the urinary tract and helps dissolve urinary stones. Dandelion contains potassium. Offers free radical protection and is good for digestion and constipation. Plus other other benefits.

When one thinks of all the other herbs
nettle : milk production, mood swings, arthritis
Yarrow:fever, blood cleanser, E. Coli fighter,hypoglycemia
red clover: conjunctivitis, coughs , colds, skin infections

and that is just a nod to what often grows naturally in our yards. Then there are the herbs we have in our kitchen. The herbs we grow, the mints, etc...

 

[kusanar314]

I'm not familiar with the "sand ginger" but regular ginger is supposed to help with digestion and can help limit bloating, which both may help with eating more and gaining more weight from what they eat.

Turmeric is supposed to help with inflammation (including in the gut), and anxiety which would help with weight gain.

Sugar will also help with weight gain and make them want to drink the mix.

I mean, if it's something you're interested in trying it shouldn't hurt anything. I would do a control group and one that is getting the mixture added and see if it actually does anything or if it is confirmation bias.

 

[Mckatie]

I watched the video. It definitely is something I would do. The only difference for me is that I would dilute it simply because it is new to the rabbits. I would rather work up to the "full" recipe. Even when I start my rabbits on a new herb, I start small. It would definitely be interesting to see.

There are actually similar recipes for "golden milk" that many people drink. This beverage and other similar recipes have a long list of benefits.

From homemade golden milk paste:
this one is from https://www.elizabethrider.com/how-to-make-golden-milk-recipe/

• 1 cup of organic coconut milk (buy organic full-fat coconut milk in a bpa-free can ), OR, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk plus 1 teaspoon almond oil or coconut oil*
• a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of golden milk paste (see below in notes for how to make the paste)
• 1 small (1/4 inch) piece of ginger root peeled and grated (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon raw honey added off the heat (optional for a little sweetness)

If preparing without making the paste:

• 1 cup of organic coconut milk (buy organic full-fat coconut milk in a bpa-free can ), OR, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened nut milk) plus 1 teaspoon almond oil or coconut oil*
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
• big pinch of freshly ground black pepper if using ground turmeric (omit if using the paste)
• 1 small (1/4 inch) piece of ginger root peeled and grated (more or less to taste)
• 1 big pinch or sprinkle of ground cardamom
• 1 big pinch or sprinkle of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon raw honey added off the heat (optional for a little sweetness)

 

[junebug]

Ginger can be warming and increases the heart rate, so I might not use it in the hot summer for a rabbit. I feed my rabbits with fresh seasonal "weeds" (non-sprayed) that grow around here when they are available: plantain, clover, dandelion, violet, wild strawberries. I've used purple dead nettle tea diluted in their water (a spring weed in north america) to help with a constipated rabbit and that worked well! Unfortunately, vets aren't trained in herbs and don't really know how to use them or what contraindications to look for, so I'd look for sources with more direct experience. It's also rare to find an herbalist who specializes in small animals. Juliette de Bairacli Levy has written books on herbs for farm animals and some domestics, and has some interesting experiences to look into.