As dog parents, we're all looking for effective ways to prevent and heal common problems for our companion animals, from allergies to digestive issues to hot spots.

We know natural remedies for dogs can be a powerful tool, but how do we sort out which herbal remedies work and how to use them?

We've got all your answers on herbal supplements - from certified canine nutritionists/herbalists. Broken down for you in 6 step-by-step guides, here in the Herbs Channel on Dogly to help your dog live truly well.

In the 6 guides in the Herbs Channel here on Dogly you'll learn:

• how to know which herbs your dog needs
• the best multi-purpose herb for healing skin/wounds and more
• the best herbs to help with your dog's upset stomach
• the powerful herb to help detox your dog
• the best herb to help your dog's stiff hips & joints
• the best herb to treat bee stings & bug bites

All from Dogly Wellness Advocates who are certified canine nutritionists/herbalists so you know the information is from a knowledge-grounded, credible source you can count on.

Let's take a look at each guide with a quick overview below, and then you can decide how you want to make herbal remedies part of keeping your dog in his or her best health.

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Healing Herbs Guide 1: How to know which herbal remedies your dog needs

With so many natural remedies for dogs available with different benefits, how can we as dog owners know which ones really make a difference and for what purpose in our dogs' health?

Those are questions Canine Nutritionist/Herbalist and Dogly Nutrition Advocate Brittney Evans often hears from dog parents wanting to address a range of common wellness issues with natural remedies rather than conventional medications with unwanted side effects.

The first step in matching the right herbal remedies to your dog's individual needs is to understand the healing properties herbs bring to common areas of concern for your dog's health, vitality, and mobility. In this step-by-step guide you'll learn the top 5 ways herbs support your dog's health - and which herbs are powerful healers for each.

A quick look at the top 5 ways you can impact your dog's health with herbs:

1. as an anti-inflammatory (think arthritis, mobility, and more)
2. as a powerful antioxidant
3. as support for your dog's digestive health, nervous system, and blood pressure
4. as an antidote to stomach problems, gas, and irritable bowel syndrome
5. as an antiviral, antifungal, and to deliver antimicrobial properties

Included in the guide are the herbs that serve each purpose. Whatever your dog's needs might be, there's an herb (or maybe a few) for that. You just need to know how to access each herb's healing power and use it safely.

How do you know which herbs are best for your individual dog?

That's where "know your dog" comes in, along with a "sniff/selection" diagnostic tool herbalists use to match herbs with your dog - while giving your dog an enrichment activity and consent in the process.

Ever wonder why your dog sometimes chooses to eat grass or herbs?

Learn the answers, with examples like why dogs are drawn to basil and why dogs eat rosemary (and find out what issues they address) in this guide.

When you know how to use herbs to help your dog get well and stay well, you'll be able to avoid impacting your dog's good gut bacteria and further compromising the immune system that tends to come with conventional medications such as antibiotics and allergy medications.

Herbal substitutes for medications

And with supporting your dog's good bacteria and healthy immune system in mind, this guide also includes which herbs you can get veterinary advice to substitute for 5 often-prescribed medications:

• Apoquel (immunosuppressant)
• anti-nausea medications
• prescription anxiety medicine 
• steroids
• prescription creams for hot spots, cracked paws

Herbs can be a powerful yet gentle tool in keeping your dog at his or her best health when you know what to use when and how. Get started with this guide and when you're finished, dive into the next guide to know why and how to use the wonderfully versatile herb calendula for your dog.

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Healing Herbs Guide 2: Why calendula is the best multi-purpose herb for healing wounds, skin, & more

Calendula is a popular herb with a long and strong history in herbal medicine as a multi-functional herb for all things skin and wound-healing, along with improving digestion and balancing the immune system.

It's a favorite of certified nutritionist/herbalist and Dogly Wellness Advocate Alicia Boemi who shares why and how to use calendula in this guide.

You'll learn the essentials dog parents need to know about calendula including the 5 roles it serves to protect and heal your dog:

1. as a lymph de-toxer: think swollen lymph nodes - helps stimulate flow and promotes drainage
2. as an "alterative": alters the body's function to rebalance it, increase vitality
3. as an astringent: draws out toxins, aids wound healing
4. as a bitter tonic: has a draining/drying effect to balance key organs
5. as an anti-inflammatory: externally on skin, internally in the GI system

How do you deliver calendula to your dog - topically for skin and internally for overall system healing and balance?

You'll find how to go about it and more on calendula's benefits for your pup (and you) covered in this guide.

Once you've learned how you can put calendula to work for your dog's best health, up next are the recommendations and guidance for the best go-to herbs when your dog has gastrointestinal problems.

Healing Herbs Guide 3: The best herbs for your dog's upset stomach

Every dog experiences the discomfort of tummy upsets at some times, and we all know that feeling of trying to figure out how to fix it and get our dogs back to their happy, feeling-good selves again.

In this guide, you'll learn the two herbs that can save the day for you and your pup. Sharing her years of experience using slippery elm bark and fennel seeds, certified canine nutritionist/herbalist and Dogly Wellness Advocate Brittney Evans details why and how to use each to help your dog.

In this step-by-step guide you'll learn:

• why slippery elm bark is the #1 go-to herb for GI issues like diarrhea, colitis, constipation, and acid reflux
• how slippery elm bark is nutritive and the many vitamins it delivers to your dog (important to restore nutrients after diarrhea, loss of appetite)
• how it aids digestion by acting as a soother to coat and reduce inflammation in the GI tract to support healthy digestion and elimination (also to soothe inflamed tissues and coat the throat and respiratory system for kennel cough & other respiratory issues)

Included in the guide is the recipe for making a simple slippery elm bark cold "tea" to treat and re-nourish your dog.

You'll also learn:

• why fennel seeds are a great herb for minor gastric discomfort - for sensitive stomachs, to relax the digestive system, relieve gastric discomfort, stomach cramps, and indigestion
• how fennel seeds increase appetite, act as an antioxidant, antibacterial, antispasmodic, and are extremely nutritive
• why fennel seed is great for gassy tummies

Included is an easy fennel seed tea you can make ahead and keep in your fridge (great for you too!).

Jump into this guide and make these two herbs and the homemade teas delivering them part of your repertoire to keep your dog's tummy and digestive system working well and feeling good.

Now let's talk about our favorite herb for de-toxing...

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Healing Herbs Guide 4: The ultimate natural dog detox herb - burdock root

Unfortunately we live in a world where toxins are all around us and it's hard to completely avoid toxic substances in our lives every day from neighbors' weed killers to chemicals in our food chain. All these things contribute to allergies and diseases in humans - and our dogs can be even more susceptible.

Thankfully there's a natural, gentle, but powerful herb to detox our dogs (and us!): burdock root. In this step-by-step guide, you'll find everything you need to know about why, when, and how to use burdock root from certified canine nutritionist/herbalist and Dogly Wellness Advocate Brittney Evans.

Burdock root is excellent for periodic cleansing and detoxing as well as planning the detoxification process after an event such as a vaccination.

In this guide, you'll learn all the details of how burdock detoxes and supports your dog in 5 important ways:

5 key ways burdock root works to support & detox your dog

• cleanses the bloodstream (supporting the liver in this process)
• stimulates the skin's ability to remove toxins through the skin (addressing many skin issues as it works)
• provides nutrients for prevention and overall health
• addresses metabolic disorders holistically to promote elimination of toxins and waste
• supports and calms the GI system and acts as a prebiotic for good gut health

Included in this guide is a recipe for making burdock root tea - plus the right frequency and amount for your individual dog.

Next up, we look at another powerful herb, respected for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine and now central to modern approaches to stiff joints and disease prevention (such as cancer)...

Healing Herbs Guide 5: Why & how to add turmeric to your dog's diet

One of the most common causes of concern we have as dog parents is maintaining our dogs' joint health to spare them the pain and immobility of stiff, achy hips and joints.

In this step-by-step guide, certified nutritionist/herbalist and Dogly Nutrition Advocate Brittney Evans explains why and how to give turmeric to your dog as a natural, potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant to support joint health and mobility - and help protect against other disease, most notably with cancer.

You'll learn all the ways turmeric is a multi-tasking powerhouse in its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-fungal, wound healing, and anti-cancer activities that can help keep your dog healthy.

In this guide on turmeric as a key ingredient for your dog's wellness, you'll learn:

• how turmeric works in the body to fight inflammation and support good mobility
• why major medical institutions (like Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan Kettering) are talking about turmeric and cancer
• what we can learn from anecdotal and clinical research takeaways
• how turmeric can affect overall wellness as an antioxidant, antiviral, and more

You'll also find out which secret ingredient you can add to increase turmeric absorption up to 2000% (and good news - you already have it in your kitchen).

Included is the recipe for Golden Paste and how to make turmeric a simple, regular addition to your dog's food.

Now for the best herb to treat bug bites and bee stings...

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Healing Herbs Guide 6: Why plantain is the best herb to treat your dog's bee stings & bug bites

Most of us have experienced that instant when our dog gets stung by a bee or bitten by a bug and we're scrambling to address the pain and a fast-developing allergic reaction.

What's a dog parent to do and do quickly?

Thankfully, in this guide you'll learn about the best herb for stings and bites that might be in your own backyard - plantain! Plantain is an herb that's been used medicinally for centuries. It's also the go-to herb for certified nutritionist/herbalist and Dogly Wellness Advocate Alicia Boemi to treat stings, bites, even poison ivy and the allergic reactions that come with them.

In this guide you'll learn:

• what plantain is (and how you might even find it already in your yard or garden)
• how plantain works in your dog's body (also ours)
• how to make a plantain poultice and apply it to your dog quickly
• how to use plantain oil on your dog (and a pro tip to keep it fresh and handy for futures)
• why to get your dog away from the site of the sting right away

And importantly, what to do if your dog is stung around the mouth or throat. Plus, when to call your vet and signs to watch for that you should call your vet immediately.

That's the Herbs Channel here on Dogly!

If you've gone through each guide in the Herbs Channel, you should feel confident in knowing which natural remedies to use when and how to keep your dog well whether you're preventing or healing an issue.

The Herbs Channel is one of many channels here on Dogly. Be sure to check out the other channels like Manners in Training or Improving Kibble in Nutrition to learn everything you need to know about your dog's training, nutrition, and overall wellness.

And, as always, you can speak with or work with any of the Advocates on Dogly if you ever need more personalized help. Don't go through stuff alone with your dog, we're here for you!