Jiaogulan for Horses
I have begun using herbs more and more with my horses, and one that I have used (with success) is a Chinese herb called Jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum). Many people call it J-Herb, for short. I wanted to share when and how this herb might be benefical for your horse.
Jiaogulan is an adaptogenic herb which means it improves a horse’s (or person’s) ability to deal with stress. It does this by regulating the hormone, cortisol–increasing or decreasing it as needed.
J-herb has been known for its positive effects on human cardiovascular health for some time. Research has shown that this herb supresses inflammatory nitric oxide pathways, and at the same time, induces nitric oxide production in the blood vessels. The latter effect helps to keep blood vessels dilated and blood flowing efficiently. For horses, Jiaogulan can be beneficial if they have Cushings disease (PPID), laminitis, or respiratory problems, among other things.
With Cushings horses, feeding 1-2 tsp of Jiaogulan has been said to block some of the negative side affects of the drug, pergolide (which is the standard prescribed drug for Cushings) and increase energy levels in the horse.
For laminitic horses, J-herb can help to address circulation problems and make the horse more comfortable. It is not, and should not be considered a “cure” for laminitis–only something to help alleviate pain.
For respiratory problems such as Heaves, Jiaogulan acts as a bronchodilator, helping to decrease resistance in the airway. It is often given in combination with another herb known as Spirulina for this condition.
Personally, I used a combination of Jiaogulan and AAKG ( L-Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate) for my horse, Lee Lee, when she had a suspensory ligament injury a few years ago. I learned about both of these products in Dr. Eleanor Kellon’s equine nutrition course entitled, Nutrition as Therapy. (Most of the research with J-herb and horses has been done by Dr. Kellon, by the way.)
If you are thinking of giving your horse Jiaogulan or any other herb, always check with your vet first. J-herb should not be given in conjunction with bute, banamine, or vasodilating drugs. Dr. Kellon’s book, Horse Journal: Guide to Equine Supplements and Nutraceuticals, gives more detailed information about J-herb as well as a number of other supplements. I refer to this book quite a bit!
Ta-ta!
Hi, I have a quarter horse. He is 16 years. He has heaves. Sometimes I don’t ride because to me he is breathing so hard. Sometimes I ride him and he will get better other times not. How can I help him?
Hi Lynn,
I’m sorry to hear about your horse. I’ve dealt with heaves before too, and I know how frustrating it can be. I suggest reading this post I did a while back: https://thenaturallyhealthyhorse.com/heaves-horses/ Best of luck to you.
I have been giving my horse spurlina for some time with no improvement. He has no cough just in nasal noise , he does get clear fluid coming out his nose sometime . I am also having a problem with my husband horse he use just rub his nose in springtime now he is making like itchey nose noise and if he runs around he coughs I soak all my horses hay for 3 hours per orders from my vet. Husband horse still constantly clearing his nose when giving wet hay, I give them small amounts during the day so less waste. My husband said he is gonna buy a hay steamer for me in April (wont hold my breath on this) I hoping the steamed hay will help both of them
Hi, my good friend’s sport horse has suspensory ligament issues just found by vet. The area is tender/inflammed – both hinds. How much jiaogulan will you give and is there any safety limit eg not to give too long? to feed on and off? The horse in qn is 16.3hh and quite muscular, a warmblood. Thanks very much.
Hi Casie, I am writing to you from Germany, as I have read your interesting article in search of information about Jiaogulan. Our young quarter horse gelding (4 years) old, suffers from itching in summer – maybe allergic (summer eczema). It seems that the blackflies are the problem.. Do you have any experiences on this topic? Can Jiaogulan help here? Some here in Germany tried last summer and it actually seems to have helped some. That’s why my horse currently also gets 15 g of Jiaogulan powder daily in the feed. I really hope I could help him with that.
Please excuse my bad English 🙂
Thank you and best Regards
Carina
Hi Carina–your English is great! Yes, Jiaogulan may help with skin allergies. You might want to consider feeding spirulina too. It may take a few months to see a difference though. Good luck!
Started using jiaogulan 7 days ago with AAKG, basically my in foal Mare was crippled could barely move would not leave her stable or anything ,very distressing , it seemed to me like some form of winter lamenites we had very cold weather last month and from then on she got very bad and was not improving she was actually getting worse, so I got jiaogulan powder and with the AAKG mixed it with a small bit of feed twice a day , I could see a small gradual improvement over the first few day last week and I opened her stable this morning and out she came like a yearling even had a little play for herself , was I delighted , the only other thing I changed was I started soaking her hay to get rid of some of the sugar , but that’s it she’s due next week so it’s great to see her with no pain, what a brilliant herb,
Where are getting the Jiaogulan. I can only find it in pill or tea form. Thanks!
You can order jiaogulan powder from several sources including Uckele and Horsetech. I usually order from Amazon though.
Try mybesthorse.com where its 13 USD a lb for the powder. They are recommended as a shop quite often. I have bought from them other products although not jiaogulan.
In what form?
my horse has emp and alos vet says copd, yet to be determined as she seems better after antibotics, i just wonder how much of each u would give her she is at least 1000 lbs. and do you do it forever, if any one knows please em me at joannavonholten@yahoo.com thanks so much jvh
The dosage for Jiaogulan ranges from 1/2 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons (for a 1000 lb horse), so I’d start at 1/2 teaspoon and work up if needed.
Looking for some advice: my horse had winter laminitis in March 2019 and I started him on Lamin-Ox, which has 4 gr of Jiaogulan. This did seem to help and he is fully recovered and no issues w/ his feet. I have him also on Equioxx due to ring bone in both front feet. I tried to take him off the Equioxx but he got sore so I put him back on. I am looking at starting straight Jiaogluan w/ the Equioxx. I will try to take him off the Equioxx and see if he stays sound. Is there any danger using both the Equioxx and Jiaogalan. What would be the issues with using both? Thanks for your help.