Nutrient and metal analyses of Chinese herbal products marketed for veterinary use.

This research explores the nutritional and mineral content of Chinese herbs and herbal mixtures typically given to pets like dogs and horses for their potential medicinal benefits. The study found mineral concentrations variied significantly and while some of the studied herbs could contribute significantly to a pet’s recommended nutrient intake, none were likely to cause drastic changes in dietary intake of essential nutrients.

Understanding the Research

• These Chinese herbs and herbal combination formulas are frequently given to domestic animals like dogs and horses due to their reported medicinal properties. However, there is little known about their actual composition, making this research integral in understanding what these herbs actually contribute to an animals’ diet.
• The researchers collected a variety of different herbs, 14 combination formulas and three single herbs, to measure their essential nutrient and mineral content. The nutrients analyzed include crude protein, crude fat, carbohydrates, and fibre while the minerals examined were calcium, iron, zinc, copper, and more.

The Analysis of Nutrient and Mineral Concentrations

• Using samples of these herbs, the scientists performed proximate analyses and mineral concentration tests to identify any differences among single herbs and if there were high concentrations of particular minerals present in the herbal combinations.
• Surprising results were the high concentrations of several minerals in some herbal combinations. For example, herbs with the highest concentrations of calcium, iron and manganese overran the recommended dietary allowances for adult dogs by up to 142%, and for horses by up to 122% assuming all the minerals were absorbed by the body.

Significance of the Data Analysis

• The research found concentrations of heavy metals like cadmium, nickel, and lead were below oral tolerance levels noted in previous research, but aluminium concentrations were higher than past reports.
• Despite the surprising amount of minerals these formulas were found to contain, their administration at the maximum recommended doses is unlikely to alter a pet’s essential nutrient intake significantly. This is attributed to several factors, including that not all of the minerals may be fully absorbed by the animal’s body.
• The researchers did note, however, that further exploration is necessary to understand the significance of the small amounts of non-essential contaminant minerals (like aluminium) found in some of the formulas.