When it comes to deciding how frequently one should use herbal supplements, we recommend a pulsing, or a rotational regimen. Many believe that the constant daily use of herbs can reduce their effectiveness in the body. Also, our end goal in using herbs is to restore the body to its natural state. In our natural state, we don’t usually eat the same foods or participate in the same exercise regimen each and every day.
Consider what happens when you develop a training schedule for yourself at the gym. With consistency, you usually notice changes in your strength as well as the overall tone of your body. However, if you repeat the same program on a daily basis for months on end, you might notice that your body will plateau. This can happen with eating the same food every day as well. Another way to look at this concept is by thinking about what would happen if you continually train on the barrel pattern every day. Before too long, your smoking weekend runs will likely start to fall apart. Your training routine as well as your wellness routine benefit from a period of rest and rotation.
With horses experiencing chronic conditions, we provide herbal supplements six days a week with one day of just pasture or forage. Every couple of months we will even give them a one-week break from supplements. Of course, this depends on the horse. My older horse Pepsi shows signs of stiffness with a week off, so he maintains a continual six-day herbal supplement regimen.
Our protocol stems from the teachings of traditional cultures. They used diet as a way to maintain and restore optimal health and return the body to its natural state. For example, X-Ponent is typically used four times each year with a period of rest in between. Traditional cultural practices such as Ayurveda recommended a systemic cleansing with herbs four times each year to promote and maintain optimal health. Their philosophy is that seasons are associated with different organs and systems in the body. If I don’t personally engage in a cleansing and immune restoration program in the spring, I know that I typically end up with a cold. Restorative cleansing revitalizes our systems and boosts immunity to keep our bodies functioning in an optimal state of health.