Applied Zoopharmacognosy is a technique which allows animals to pursue a natural behaviour which they use in the wild i.e. self-medication by offering them oils, plants and other substances which they may freely select or reject to maintain or restore their own physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
All animals, from the smallest to the largest, across species boundaries can benefit from applied zoopharmacognosy.
Each animal is an individual and will select the substances it feels it needs most at any particular time. Another factor is the geographical location. Animals in places with hard water may select chalk less frequently than animals who live in areas with soft water because they are already getting a sufficient dose in the hard water supply.
In applied zoopharmacognosy a wide range of substances is used including:
- essential oils,
- floral waters
- macerated oils,
- vegetable or fixed oils
- dried plant material
- powdered plant material
- minerals