Many man-made drugs are simply compounds based upon active principles found in many herbs. One simple example could be caffeine found in coffee. Herbalists differ from most traditional medicinal methods at this point however.

Herbalists believe in the use of the entire substance- not in simply the use of one part. They believe the whole is much greater than the sum of one or more parts.

Basically, herbs work much slower than traditional medicines (t.m.'s) though they do many things t.m.'s don't- such as detoxify the body, stimulate movement of the bowels or urination, and add vitamins and minerals to the patients system which are already greatly needed.

Herbal remedies have also been used to treat animals over the centuries for such illnesses as arthritis, worms, diarrhea/constipation, diabetes, epilepsy, mange and cataracts, among others.

Juliette de Bairacli-Levy, author of The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat, emphasizes the use of herbs in the treatment of many ailments in connection with pets. She also emphasizes the importance of freshly gathered herbs, natural diet and fasting when using herbs for your dog.

Probably the biggest drawback to herbal therapy would be the amount which must be administered, the very frequent intervals of administration and the extended periods of time over which administration must occur.