Mares' Tales

Knight Mares 

I was recently reading an article in the newspaper about a farmer in Somerset who is keeping horses for their milk. It said that he is keeping 14 mares of Trait du Nord, a kind of heavy horse, half of which he keeps milking to sell some of their milk. The article in The Times (No 73418, Saturday 13/03/2021, page 3) states that the mares are milked for 3 minutes using an electrical pump and producing about 14 liters, half of which goes to their foals. The other half is pasteurized by heating it for 30 minutes at 63 Degrees Centigrade and then frozen before being transported to the customer who pays £6.50 for 250 ml. The milk is high in vitamin C and iron and low in fat. It is said that the levels of lactose and casein are closer to human breast milk, and that it also contains proteins that can help regulate blood pressure. It even may have an anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effect, as studies at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan showed.

I heard about horse milk for the first time as a treatment for eczema way back when my children were small because I had eczema sufferers in my family. At that time I was desperate to find a treatment for eczema and I didn't know about Homoeopathy. I thought horse milk was more a remedy to bathe in, or rub it into the skin, than to drink it. Anyway it was not available to me so there was no chance to test its' use. 

Obviously the thought of drinking horse milk is a strange one around here, but it has been used for centuries in countries like China and Kazakhstan. In ancient Rome bathing in horses milk was a luxury. I always regarded horses as highly sensitive and man milking them would dry up there milk, as stress can do in any mother. I assumed that only a close relationship between mare and owner would allow for small quantities to be taken. I though that a commercial approach was not possible but I'm always happy to learn something new.

In Homoeopathy mares milk, or Lac equinum as the remedy is called, is part of the group known as the Milk remedies. These remedies center around nourishment and the lack of it, the mother and the family, abandonment and separation. It is also about the relationship between the individual and the family. 

In Lac equinum the theme is more related to the father than to the mother. Individuals who need this remedy seek and rely more on a father figure to substitute for a bad father or a father they never had. It is more likely that a father is absent in a family than a mother.

Lac equinum represents what horses are in our society. They represent freedom and strength, leisure and duty. Of course, horses are not free creatures anymore. They were used to work the land and for transport, and without horses the civilization of mankind would have been a lot slower. This is reflected in the big sense of duty and service in the remedy, and  the fear of letting other people down. There is also a great sensitivity to the feeling of others. One of the keynotes of the remedy is the need to please others as much as they can.

Not surprisingly, the the remedy shows a great anticipatory anxiety and the desire to escape. 

Clinically it can be used for forgetfulness and weakness of the memory, dust allergies, chronic asthma and back pain amongst others, where indicated. Don't forget that we treat people with Homoeopathy not diseases and the prescription of a remedy depends on the whole picture of the person. Did I arouse your interest? Get in contact on 07813 195468 to experience this wonderful, natural kind of medicine.

Horses are just wonderful creatures. Photograph by Roger Giraud-Saunders.