# Cow Parsley



## SuperCoblet (2 May 2011)

I've always fed gypsy cow parsley every now and then for a treat off the country lane verges as he completely loves it and will do anything for it. 
I was completely shocked when someone told me today it was bad for them and it could kill them :O 
Can someone please confirm for me if it is good or bad for them, any nutritional value or harm it does to them. Thanks!x


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## pricklyflower (2 May 2011)

Are you sure you mean Cow Parsley and not "Alexander" (think that's what it's called!) Alexander looks a bit similar and my horses love it and I will often pick it for them.

Cow Parsley will burn pink noses and can also burn your skin when pulling it up so would never feed it to my horses although they do like to eat it.


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## SuperCoblet (2 May 2011)

I'll try and find a picture, I don't think it burns c


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## JoG (2 May 2011)

Cow parsley is fine but hemlock (which looks very similar) is poisonous


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## pricklyflower (2 May 2011)

This is "Alexander" 

http://luirig.altervista.org/cpm/albums/bot-046/normal_smyrnium-olusatrum586.jpg 

and this is cow parsley

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=115


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## Eriskayowner (2 May 2011)

I've always let my horses eat it and never had a problem with it. All horses seem to love it and never heard anything negative about it.


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## stencilface (2 May 2011)

Cow parsley is fine afaik!  Hogweed can look similar though, and thats best avoided


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## FanyDuChamp (2 May 2011)

Blimey I had a fright then, I often get a bit of Cow Parsley from the hedgerow for my lad. Glad to see it isn't poisonous however if it causes sunburn then he'll have to do without. 
FDC


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## SuperCoblet (2 May 2011)

This is it http://www.fossfineart.com/userimages/cow_parsley2.JPG

I've never had a problem with it and pony loves it.
Just worried me a bit when she said about it, thought I'd be on the safe side and as you trusty HHO'ers


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## marmalade76 (2 May 2011)

pricklyflower said:



			Cow Parsley will burn pink noses and can also burn your skin when pulling it up so would never feed it to my horses although they do like to eat it.
		
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My ponies go mad for cow parsley, my sec B has a pink nose and it has never burnt (doesn't even get sunburnt) and I have never burnt my hands despite having regularly picked it to feed to ponies since I was a small child.


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## stencilface (2 May 2011)

Have to say I have never had one get burnt from cow parsley - or get my hands burnt either!

Giant hogweed does burn though?

They could look similar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Hogweed


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## pricklyflower (2 May 2011)

If your horse has a pink nose I'd just keep an eye out for a rash. Although if no-one else has a problem with it then maybe my horse had some sort of photosensitive reaction to that particular plant.

My brother got a terrible rash on his arms from strimming it from my field once, he still has the scars about 5 years later from it. For this reason I don't let mine eat it and will pull it up if it appears in the field. If it can do that to your skin I dread to think what it can do to their insides!


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## pricklyflower (2 May 2011)

Hmmmm maybe it was the giant hogweed then... does look very similar....


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## stencilface (2 May 2011)

Giant hogweed is truly huge, and the leave are different, but they are part of the same family


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## stencilface (2 May 2011)

pricklyflower said:



			If your horse has a pink nose I'd just keep an eye out for a rash. Although if no-one else has a problem with it then maybe my horse had some sort of photosensitive reaction to that particular plant.

My brother got a terrible rash on his arms from strimming it from my field once, he still has the scars about 5 years later from it. For this reason I don't let mine eat it and will pull it up if it appears in the field. If it can do that to your skin I dread to think what it can do to their insides!
		
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Does sounds like giant hogweed!


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## pricklyflower (2 May 2011)

The plants never get huge that grow on the hedgerows of the field, i can pull it up with my bare hands but my hands feel "stiff" after I've handled it, if that makes sense! I'll perhaps try and take a pic of it later and compare.


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## monkeybum13 (2 May 2011)

Every horse I've owned has loved cow parsley and never had a issue with it.

My mare will try and snack on the stuff if we're stood in the hedge waiting for a car to pass. Naughty lass.


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## HollyB66 (2 May 2011)

My mare has gone mad for cow parsley this year, I found this link when I was checking out if it was safe:

http://your-natural-horse.com/2010/05/cow-parsley-a-great-free-herb/

Chris Dyers book, Plants, potions and Oils for Horses: He says with properties similar to fennel. You can feed as much as you likeaids digestion, has calmative properties and speeds the healing process.

So, my girl can eat as much as she likes


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## MrsHutt (2 May 2011)

I think we need to take close notice of the pictures of the 'normal' and the 'giant' - it seems that the giant is the dangerous one (not native).  All I know is that all the horses at our yard love the short version for a treat - but it's soon all eaten up!


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## SonnysHumanSlave (2 May 2011)

Ted loves a bit of cow parsley.


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## SuperCoblet (2 May 2011)

Thanks HollyB66, cleared it up for me and put my mind to rest that I'm not killing, but helping my beloved horse. Panick over


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## Kokopelli (2 May 2011)

I wouldn't worry too much, horses are very smart and don't tend to eat poisonous plants unless they have nothing else left or it is in hay and dried.

If they love a plant as well it's normally because they know it's good for them.


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## Miss L Toe (2 May 2011)

Be aware that Hemlock, a tuberous rooted plant found in waterways look like some pictures of cow parsley which are hedgerow plant.
Hemlock is deadly poison, which was used in times past to kill off inconvenient philosophers like Socrates.


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## china (2 May 2011)

mine love the stuff, cow parsley is fine to eat and touch its the hogweed you want to watch out for! My old horse grabbed abit of hogweed, i thought it was cow parsley, pulled it out of his mouth as i was riding him at the time! The milk from the hogweed burnt my hands and i ended up with blisters all over them for 2 days. Not nice.


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## Paddy Irish (2 May 2011)

Cow parsley has thin spindly leaves BUT has the same type of flower as hemlock ( Sometimes known as cowbane ) Paddy took a mouthful of this whilst i was messing around in the river last week , fortunately he actually let me pull it all out of his mouth so i think it may have tasted pretty bitter , i must say my heart skipped a beat. Anyway i'm pretty sure i got it all out and we've had no affects from it. I looked into the cow pasley / hogweed and hemlock thing when i first moved here as we have all three growing along our river banks ( horses safely fenced away from it ) and it seems that all three are poisonous the further down towards the root you go , so for horses picking cow parsley tops there wouldn't be much problem but make sure you know one from the other as hemlock roots would be fatal. Google cowbane and you'll see how similar it looks , paddy didn't seem to know the difference!


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## Kokopelli (2 May 2011)

Does anyone knows what happens if they ingest hemlock?
Is the reaction quick or is it long term damage and what damage is done?


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## indie999 (2 May 2011)

I would walk mine along bridleways for a munch on this and to get natural herbs etc not growing in field, pretty much know what to eat, never had any probs with it. I encourage it in our field edges etc


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## team barney (2 May 2011)

Cow parsley is fine, horses love it and it's never done any of mine any harm.  Watch out for hemlock though it does look similar.

Some pics... http://www.torrens.org.uk/FFF/plants/CP+H.html


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## pricklyflower (2 May 2011)

I've taken the liberty to take some pictures today of what I thought was cow parsley - can you knowledgeable peeps confirm whether this is or not please? There wasn't any in flower but when it does flower they are white and small:-













This is what I call Alexander, the leaves are shinier and greener than the above plant, with more yellow flowers, the plants seem to be coming to the end of their flowering season now:







(if you can actually see the plant amongst all the sticky things!)

Thanks


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## TGM (2 May 2011)

Neither of them look like what I call cow parsley to me.  First one looks like some sort of hemlock or hogweed and would be toxic.

This is 'cow parsley':

http://www.ukwildflowers.com/Web_pages/anthriscus_sylvestris_cow_parsley.htm


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## Wolfie (2 May 2011)

As already stated, cow parsley looks a lot like hemlock, so when in doubt keep the horse away from it. I would rather deprive him a pleasure than poison him! Hemlock is a deadly poison to horses and humans (and probably everything else besides!). It is a powerful hallucinogen - in the old days "witches" would make it into a paste and smear it on their bodies to trip out! 

The symptoms onset reasonably quickly in horses - small doses might have tremor, dilated pupils, collapse, drooling, ataxia etc, whilst larger doses result in respiratory arrest and death.


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## stencilface (2 May 2011)

First pic is def hogweed (the normal kind, not the giant type) and I'm not familiar with the other one, and am too lazy to look in my botany books!


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## pricklyflower (2 May 2011)

Brill thanks. Glad that I always thought cow parsley shouldn't be eaten by the horses and cleared it immediately from fields. It is rife here in Guernsey because it's everywhere..... I'll continue to remove it from the fields.


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## Rob Lakeside (2 May 2011)

I have never known a horse that will not eat it.
Why it is a member of the parsnip and carrot family is about 1.metre high.
and is sweet to eat.

*Warning * it is high in nitrogen and for horses that have laminitus it will make the problem worse, so limit this?  

Hogweed flowers in June and will grow 3 metres high and is on waist ground or in ditches
Rob


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## tallyho! (2 May 2011)

Cow Parsley is the one with FINE leaves, eat one yourself, it's sweet and fresh. 

You have to study them carefully, thick broad leaf of the same/similar shape with a tighter head is less palatable and causes irritation. No cow or horse wioll eat it once tried and spat out.


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## tallyho! (2 May 2011)

Rob Lakeside said:



			I have never known a horse that will not eat it.
Why it is a member of the parsnip and carrot family is about 1.metre high.
and is sweet to eat.

*Warning * it is high in nitrogen and for horses that have laminitus it will make the problem worse, so limit this?  

Hogweed flowers in June and will grow 3 metres high and is on waist ground or in ditches
Rob
		
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Nitrogen won't hurt a laminitic, it breathes mostly nitrogen. But the sugar content surely will. 

Treat it as chocolate, a treat if you will for those who are sensitive.


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## Lollii (2 May 2011)

Our horses love cow parsley, they have loads this time of year, they have had it for years - they go mad for it


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## moana (2 May 2011)

'gypsy' cow parsley?? What the hell is that?

Cow parsley is completely harmless ,in fact some say has  helpful properties.     I am unaware of useful  properties, but horses love it.

It does look very much like hemlock, which comes out later in the year, which your friend may be confusing it with.


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## pricklyflower (2 May 2011)

moana said:



			'gypsy' cow parsley?? What the hell is that?
		
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I gather Gypsy is the name of the OP's horse.


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## SuperCoblet (2 May 2011)

Moana- LOL  sorry! Yes, gypsy is the horse, not the cow parsley  silly name, I know, it suits him and he likes it


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## Rob Lakeside (2 May 2011)

Nitrogen won't hurt a laminitic, it breathes mostly nitrogen. But the sugar content surely will. 

Treat it as chocolate, a treat if you will for those who are sensitive. 
__________________

Tactfully put!!
I agree a little is good, to much becomes a problem for some horses.


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## Laura6544 (2 May 2011)

My old girl, who clearly thinks shes now of an age where she can get away with it, spent most of her hack out today trying to grab the stuff from the verges. Shes always loved it and has a very pink nose which has not been affected as far as I can tell by it. (like the idea it may have calming properties though, might allow her to pick a bit more!)


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## Ravenwood (2 May 2011)

Kokopelli said:



			Does anyone knows what happens if they ingest hemlock?
Is the reaction quick or is it long term damage and what damage is done?



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We had a pony who ate water dropwort hemlock in the evening and was dead by lunchtime   The most horrific death I have ever witnessed and never want to see again.  Other ponies who had only had the tops survived but only just.

*Please everyone - be aware of Hemlock growing in water ways.  It is also known as "dead man's fingers" because the roots look like fingers and are deadly*


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## brighteyes (2 May 2011)

Hemlock flowers are very similar to cow parsley - as are the leaves.  The stem, however is purple-spotted.


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## EAST KENT (3 May 2011)

Hemlock is seen growing on waste land,and all along our motorways,it is taller than any cow parsley and the givaway are the purple spotting on the lower stem. It can produce blisters if handled;the poison it contains has effect starting with tingling and numbing of the extremities,gradually continueing until it numbs the heart muscle.The brain remains active till the last,it takes quite a while to kill, 24 hours I believe.
  Amazing then is`nt it that such a lethal plant is so common in this country and largly unreckonised as such.There was a case last year of a guy who served it chopped into a salad to his mother in law,she died.


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## tallyho! (3 May 2011)

EAST KENT said:



			There was a case last year of a guy who served it chopped into a salad to his mother in law,she died.
		
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Brilliant!! Worth remembering...


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## Tnavas (3 May 2011)

I never had any problems with it and pulled it for my horse by the armfull. He loved it and showed no signs of any reaction to it. Don't ever remember any problems with my skin either.


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## moana (3 May 2011)

pricklyflower said:



			I gather Gypsy is the name of the OP's horse.
		
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Sorry, my silly


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## JoBird (3 May 2011)

Cow Parsley is fine! Stop scare mongering - as long as it is properly identified it is PERFECTLY FINE and I have recommended it in my books and fed it all my life to horses! Everything in moderation as they say of course! 
I gather many plants from the hedgerow to enhance my horses' diet.


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## pricklyflower (3 May 2011)

Erm scaremongering?? Where? It was me who said it burnt but I quite clearly on this thread have mistaken hogweed for cow parsley and have been thankful to posters for putting me straight. You learn new things everyday and have even passed this message on to my friends who have also mistakenly hogweed for cow parsley. No harm done (well maybe to the horses who may have missed out on yummy good for them cow parsley as I've always avoided it like the plague!)


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## brighteyes (4 May 2011)

JoBird said:



			Cow Parsley is fine! Stop scare mongering - as long as it is properly identified it is PERFECTLY FINE and I have recommended it in my books and fed it all my life to horses! Everything in moderation as they say of course! 
I gather many plants from the hedgerow to enhance my horses' diet.
		
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...being the caveat, and this thread has helped do just that.


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## indie999 (4 May 2011)

Cow parsley leaves look a lot more finer..like wild fern leaves. My horse would grab it out hacking as its the right height! Its flourishing in Herts now! I also have Hemlock in my horses field for years and he has so far never bothered with it at the edges?? It has a really fat leaf on it but agree the flower is very similar and could be confused but the leaf it much more broader. I do sometimes spot spray it to keep it under control(the weed not the horse)!


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