For me the use of herbs boils down to these points: 1. Which ones have substantiated useful effects? (Using references like the _Physician's Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines_ which does list which ones work, including the substantiating studies among those studies in the bibliography for each herb.) 2. Which ones are not counter-indicated by a medical condition of the individual or by another medication being taken? (Ditto for refs.) 3. Which ones do not have risks that make them too dangerous to try (For examples, I would not try ephedra or licorice root.) (Again, ditto for refs.) 4. Is using this in conjunction with the existing treatment okay with my vet and any consultants who are involved if there is a confusing case? I can not say that I agree with the constructs used to explain some forms of alternative approaches, but there certainly are some alternative approaches -- including a number of herbs -- which do bear out in multiple physiological studies, so turning my nose up at them because I don't follow those constructs would be illogical to me. I think that it IS important that we realized that while the ferret community has have folks selling "miracle cures" in the past, that approach to posting differs greatly from someone who is willing to (and often has) told people of risks and who works in conjunction with vets rather than self-prescribing without vet input. Mary is a cautious soul who has not offered any cure-alls, who does read about risks and has mentioned them readily in multiple posts, and who is open to learning. This sets her far apart from some of the situations we've heard of here in the past. If someone is interested in trying that route and vet says it's okay I'd much rather that person get info from someone who is honest about risks than one who doesn't not list risks. Anyone who is going to use herbs or try to treat anything with supplements NEEDS references, or needs access to someone who uses reputable references and takes BOTH the upsides and downsides into account, just as a pharmacist is a truly integral part of life and health for the standard meds we all wind up using. (Heck, I had a pharmacist save my life once when a physician prescribed something to which I am allergic, and another as part of a group figuring out the best approach (which turned out to be what was then a new cephalosporin) many years ago when i got the old (very, very old) slow form of "flesh eating bacteria" after an out-patient surgery. Problems happen when the full picture is avoided. So, yes, we use herbs with the same sorts of considerations that are involved when we use other medications. Mostly, Steve and I use standard meds, but if something can help we don't refuse to consider it. Instead, we consult reputable references and discuss it with our ferrets' health professionals. [Posted in FML issue 3934]