"Oh, how much is that Chicory root in the dog food?"

Ancient Herbs and Modern Herbs: A Comprehensive Reference Guide
to Medicinal Herbs, Human Ailments and Possible Herbal Remedies
by James Kedzie Sayre.

"Oh, how much is that Chicory root in the dog food?"

If people are going to be offered medicinal herbs in their processed foods and drinks, can our pets be far behind? Now Alpo, a major dog food brand, is including Chicory root as an additive in both dry dog food and canned dog food. This new medicinal herb addition is being heavily advertised with the slogan, "4 Weeks to Healthy Digestion." The ad says that Chicory root addition to Alpo is to "promote your dog's digestion and overall health, day after day." In smaller print the ad warns against a rapid change over to this new Chicory root-spiked Alpo dog food may cause stomach upset. This would seem to be another case of the alleged cure causing the disease. The same arguments against purchasing human food spiked with medicinal herbs would also apply to dog food spiked with medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, Rover can't speak English and give his or her opinion of such new dog foods. What's next? Cat food spiked with Catnip? The mind boggles.

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Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please feel free to Email the author at sayresayre@yahoo;com. sayresayre@yahoo.com

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Contact author James K. Sayre at sayresayre@yahoo.com. sayresayre@yahoo.com

Web page last updated on 14 May 2003.