EMS Landscaping

Vitex agnus one of the main herbs used in treating EMS , Cushings and Laminitis

Introduction

This landscape topic will cover landscaping measures for horses with Equine metabolic conditions to include the  following:

Cushings, Insulin Resistance, Laminitis, Diabetes.

The two photos above are of Chenopium alba, a plant known to lower blood sugar and Vitex agnus a plant known to address the endocrine system.

There are many more plants that can be included. Theses will be added later.

Chenopodium alba is a natural blood sugar lowering herb that horses should have access to.

Canopy and General Landscape Zones

This will refer to a principle known as three tier land-use and is it one commonly used in designing a food forest but for our purposes this is for livestock. The first being three tier looks at land use in terms of canopy layers ie tall trees, mid-height fruiting species, lower shrub and or hedge species and pasture on ground tier planting ie annual dicots ( broadleaf net veined and monocots (grasses)

 Research

Did you know that many common  plants will have the ability to increase beta cell turnover within the pancreas, lowering blood glucose levels, plants that have a similar action to Metformin as well as those that will improve blood flow by lowering PAF levels, reducing the formation of abnormal fat cells that lead to elevated cortisol levels.

Now in addition to that we will look at plants that have specific EMS modulating properties and they include:

• plants with anti- adipocyte compounds to speed up weight loss and help regulate insulin/glucose levels.
• plants high in proflavonals in their bark and twigs like silver birch, alders, elms, poplars are eaten in early spring.
• Plants high in anti-oxidants in their berries like rosa rugosa hips, blackberries, ground cover orange berries
• Plants that lower blood sugar levels like chenopodium alba and folium, New  Zealand climbing spinach.
• Plants with  ecdysterone compounds which influence blood sugar levels.
• Plants with an iminosugar that prevents glucose in the hind gut from reaching the blood stream.
• Phyto steroids have been shown to reduce body fat by stimulating the production of muscle tissue ie saw palmetto
• Plants with guanidine from which metformin (Glucophage) was derived has a similar mechanism of action to metformin (inhibiting the excessive basal rates of hepatic gluconeogenesis). We will add this plant as an annual to the paddock periphery along with a few other annuals and short rotation crops.

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  Aguga reptans regarded as one of eh plants with similar activities to Metformin

Plants that will help Improve Gut flora

Gut flora is pivotal to your horse’s health not least in the prevention of metabolic diseases, laminitis, cushings, insulin resistance, and digestive health like the prevention of ulcers. So in order to increase fibre in your horse’s diet it must be able to forage on a range of species from pasture grasses, to perennial grasses and broad leaf species like chicory, thistles, dandelions, plantain to hedgerows containing willows, birch, mulberries.

Morus nigra forms a wonderful shade tree and provides the horse with additional fibre and flavonoids that with improve endocrine health as well as gut flora