Here I’d like to tell a story that involves the People’s Herbs Empowered Cordyceps. Two years ago, I agreed to drop a friend’s dog off one hour south of Portland at her ex-husband’s house. He had agreed to dog sit for a few weeks. The ex-husband himself owned a dog, a standard poodle. When I arrived, it was clear that his dog was not doing well.

A month before the dog had been diagnosed with the canine version of ALS, obviously a very serious situation. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the brain and spinal cord; it is also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The dog obviously could not feel its paws, making its walk quite awkward, particularly on the wood floors. Its hind legs splayed out to the sides in the attempt to gain some stability. The strength of the legs was also obviously lacking.

I offered to do a little bodywork on his dog. I used a stroking technique with one of the People’s Herbs facial gua sha tools, but on his body along the spine, not on his face.  That clearly helped to calm the dog profoundly. He stood there and clearly asked for more. (The owner related that he never would typically stand still to be petted, that he was a very active pet with non-stop energy.) Then I laid the dog down and did gentle bodywork on his hips.

After the treatment the dog was able to jump up on a table! This was something he had not done in many months, and he did this without pain. The owner was shocked and overjoyed to see this result. That’s good news, of course, but I was only able to treat this dog twice since he lived a bit over an hour away. That is not enough treatment to make much headway in such a serious case. I left a bottle of the Empowered Cordyceps with the owner, and he started to give it daily to his dog.

The owner reported to me more positive change than he ever could have hoped for. He had three months longer with his beloved dog than he was led to believe from his vet, and, more importantly, they were all good months in which the dog was out of pain and able to engage in life. The dog passed peacefully in his sleep, and the owner sent me a sweet message about how grateful he was that I had suggested the Empowered Cordyceps and had given him some. It had made all the difference in his opinion.

What do I think happened with this herb and this dog? Cordyceps is the supreme debility tonic. I think it gave the poodle a little energy so that he could finish out his life in a good way. I doubt very much that it slowed the progression of the disease. The owner by the way was a nurse and dutifully checked out the safety of cordyceps and was impressed with just how perfectly safe it is.

If you (or your pet) are run down, it is worth a try to take some cordyceps. It tastes reasonable enough that the capsule can be opened, and it can be added to soups or oatmeal or other dishes. I have added it to our Thanksgiving turkey stuffing now for years.