Plants used for colic
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) and peppermint (Mentha piperita) were used for stomach acid. White willow bark (Salix sp.) was used to repair the stomach lining. Slippery elm bark powder (Ulmus fulva) was used for over-acidity, diarrhoea and gastroenteritis. Bedstraw (Galium sp.) was used for grass colic – 1 handful of crumpled aerial parts in the feed. Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) was given for pain. Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) was used for its synergistic action. For acute colic a crampbark (Viburnum opulus) paste was administered orally as a first aid measure before calling the veterinarian. Or a 1:1 mixture of skullcap and slippery elm bark powder and (1:4) licorice was given. Aerial parts of skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) were put in the feed for two to three days after the colic occurred to revive gut flora. One tbsp (15 ml) nutritional yeast was added to the feed everyday for prevention of colic.