About blackcurrant
The word "blackcurrant" (Ribes nigrum L.) designates both the shrub and its fruit. We also sometimes speak of "blackcurrant" to designate the plant as a whole.
The leaves of this shrub grown in France, and especially in Burgundy, as well as in Poland are very fragrant. They are widely used in perfumery and herbal medicine for humans and our pets.
Its fruits, small black berries picked at the end of summer, are very rich in vitamin C and polyphenols such as anthocyanins and flavonoids known to be powerful antioxidants.
What are the benefits of blackcurrant for dogs?
Blackcurrant leaves and buds are known and recognized for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-allergic and diuretic properties. The fruit has a vascular action, protecting the wall of blood vessels.
Blackcurrant can thus exert its benefits on the dog as:
- that anti-arthritic and anti-osteoarthritis by helping to reduce inflammation, pain and joint edema. The anti-inflammatory properties of the plant can also be useful in case of prostatitis or chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.
- as an immunomodulator to limit the symptoms of skin allergies or the consequences of chronic and recurrent infections such as recurrent cystitis (in combination with cranberry, in particular),
- that an adaptogenic plant, which regulates the adrenal glands, and makes it possible to strengthen the ability of the dog's body to better resist stress and the drop in energy due to the body's fight against attacks from different nature.
How to give blackcurrant to a dog?
In pharmacies, blackcurrant is available in the form of dried leaves, micronized powder, concentrated macerate of buds or even phytostandardized extract (or EPS).
In fact, concentrated bud macerates and EPS are the most prescribed by veterinarians because these are the forms that have the most powerful effects and are the easiest to administer to a dog. .
Note
For the dog, we use a concentrated macerate of buds rather than the glycerin macerate of 1D buds because the second is too concentrated in alcohol for pets.Note that concentrated bud macerate also contains alcohol which can be toxic to dogs. It is therefore essential to find out about the appropriate dosage for your animal from a specialized veterinarian before administering it to your animal.
Even if there are no known drug interactions or adverse effects for blackcurrant, it is always best to seek advice from a specialized veterinarian before administering a medicinal plant to your dog. What's more, the practitioner can prescribe a synergy of plants adapted to the particular case of your animal, which will be much more effective than a plant used alone.