University seeks to encourage Chinese medicine for animalsBy Wu Po-hsuan and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerNational Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) has established a team of cross-disciplinary academics to promote incorporating Chinese herbal medicine into pet food, as many ingredients have been proven to benefit the health of animals. Research has shown that diets involving certain medicinal herbs benefit animals’ health, Lee said, adding that using these herbs as health supplements can reduce the animals’ chances of developing illnesses at a later age, saving their owners the cost of treatment using Western medicine. Veterinarian Huang Mei-jung (黃美蓉), an executive officer at a pet food company, said that all Chinese herbal medicine would be tested on animals before being introduced to the market. This means that Chinese medicinal herbs that enter the market are safe for animals to consume, if given in proper amounts, Huang added. A woman surnamed Chen (陳), who owns a nine-year-old dachshund, said that feeding her dog snacks made of Chinese medicinal herbs for one month greatly enhanced the animal’s physical strength and energy levels.

Source: Taipei Times July 07, 2020 15:56 UTC