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Animal Aromatics for Spain and Hispanic America
with Mary Rodríguez

Welcome to the fascinating world of Animal Aromatics. Animal Aromatics is based on applied zoopharmacognosy. But what is THAT?

The word zoopharmacognosy was coined by Dr. Eloy Rodriguez, a biochemist at Cornell University. It derives from three Greek words:

  zoo meaning animal
  pharmakon meaning medicine
  and gnosis meaning knowledge

Animals have evolved to cope with potential threats including disease and injury and as a result have developed solutions to restore health by self-administering medicinal compounds naturally found in the wild. Zoopharmacognosy is the process by which animals self-medicate and naturally forage plants and their essential oils, algae, clay and other natural remedies. This practice allows an animal to use its innate ability to prevent disease.

When animals are living in captive conditions or in urban environments they generally do not have access to therapeutic plants. Applied zoopharmacognosy aims to fill that gap by offering secondary compounds, such as essential oils, powdered herbs etc., to domestic and captive animals to allow them to self-medicate. The animal may then choose the extracts it feels it needs at that time. Animals are thus empowered to be in control of their own health.

The animal may choose to:

  sniff
  inhale or
  ingest the compounds.
  Some extracts may be applied topically.