Alfalfa is rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, carotene & other minerals & vitamins. It detoxifies the liver & has an anti fungal agent. It stimulates the appetite. The un sprouted seeds are said to be toxic.
Aloe Vera treats wounds, burns, cuts, bites. Prevents infections & acts as a pain killer. Some feather pickers are treated successfully with water & aloe gel mixture. The aloe vera plant is on the toxic plant list because there is one part of the plant that is said to be toxic.
This is the yellow sap between the skin & the gel. Simply rubbing off the yellow sap is all you need to do. The yellow sap is more noticeable in older aloe stems. There are also some parrot owners who swear by giving parrots the whole stem & it has done no harm
at all.
Cayenne chillies have large amounts of vit A, B-complex, C, calcium, phosphorous, iron. It's a great digestive aid, anti inflammatory & helps with arthritis.
Chamomile is loaded with calcium, it acts as a calmer when offered to parrots as a mild tea. Soothes the nerves & digestive tract. And a calmative for the travelling parrot.
Cinnamon Has a mild anti-fungal effect for Candida and other types of yeast & aspergillus. Mild anti-bacterial effect against strep & staph bacteria.
Dandelion has lots of vit A, B1, C & blood purifying substances. It ca prevent
arthritic conditions.
Echinacea Has an ingredient in it that stimulates immune responses. May speed recovery in some cases of poxvirus and in debilitated birds. Has anti-bacterial properties
Eyebright Protects & maintains the health of parrots eyes. A strong tea made out of eyebright is excellent as a wash for your parrots eyes as well as any other animal.
Garlic has many anti fungal, anti viral, anti bacterial substances. A natural antibiotic that is safe for parrots in small doses. I offer my parrots a thin slice every couple of weeks It's said to stimulate immune systems, kills parasites, aids in eliminating lead & other toxins
from the body.
Ginger A mix of ginger tea is said to be great for colic or throwing up in baby parrots. Ginger tea (2 thin slices of fresh ginger in boiled water) is also great for travelling birds with motion sickness. I add thin slices of ginger to their sprout mixes every morning. I don't have a parrot in my house that doesn't like ginger!
Kava Kava from the pepper family has sedative & tranquillising effects. It has also been known to be useful for feather plucking & hyperactive parrots. The herb should be used sparingly as it is quite strong.
Milk Thistle Seeds have a flavonoid that is effective for liver disorders & is the number one treatment for all liver conditions. Milk Thistle has no known side effects.
Passion Flower acts as a sedative for parrots. It is also recommended for parrots that feather pluck or parrots that have a compulsive behaviour as or are too hyperactive.
Taheebo has anti-fungal properties effective against candida & intestinal parasites in parrots.
St Johns Wort is considered to have anti-depressant qualities & can be tried as a substitute in some feather-plucking parrots. NB: Not all herbs work the same in all parrots so it may be necessary to try more than one for some symptoms. St. Johns Wort could possibly be a problem if administered to parrots that live outside with access to direct sunlight. The reason for this warning is that there were studies of sheep that ingested extremely large quantities of pure hypericum-perforatum and died of photo-toxicity. This may or may not apply to parrots. No studies have been published on the use of St. Johns Wort in parrots.
Kelp & other seaweeds such as Wakame, Undaria, Kombu & Nori protect parrots against bacteria known to cause cancer. They posses anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-tumor properties. They are powerful for immune responses.
Slippery Elm is used externally for wounds, burns, rashes, abscesses, boils, or insect bites, internally for the lungs, coughing, vomiting.
Valerian is used as a sedative & pain reliever, since it is strong it should only be used under the advise of professionals.
Witch Hazel can be topical a spray, it can relieve itching as well as has healing properties. Can be used as an alternative to aloe vera spray. Made up witch hazel usually is preserved with alcohol so avoid contact with the face area & avoid the parrot inhalating the spray.
Other Herbs To Offer
Anise
Basil flowers
Bay leaf
Chick weed
Coriander
Dandelion young
- leaf & flowers
Dill
Lemon grass
Milk Thistle -leaf
& flower
Mint
Parsley
Thyme
Turmeric
Shepherds Purse
Sage flowers
Sorrel
Aconite, Borage, Calamus, Chapparal, Colstfoot, Comfrey, Deadly nightshade, Epheda or Mia Huang, Foxglove, Germander, Juniper berry (not toxic in tiny doses. Repeated doses cause convolutions & kidney failure) Liquorice, Ma Huang, Life Root, Lobelia, Pennyroyal,
Pokeroot, Sassafrass, Yohimbe, Wormwood