Unfortunately, some horses get melanomas. These are tumors that mainly occur in grey horses around the tail/anus. Some melanomas can cause a lot of problems and discomfort for the horse. But did you know that a combination of triphala and black cumin can help with melanomas?

What are melanomas?

Melanomas are skin tumors that arise from excessively dividing pigment cells (melanocytes). Due to this excessive cell division, a bump / tumor arises which is called a melanoma. The skin of grey and tobiano horses contains more melanocytes, which is why these horses are more susceptible to melanomas, but melanomas can occur in all colors and breeds. The growths are most common around the anus, on the caudal peduncle, genitals and on the head. Some of the melanomas are visible on the outside, but they also grow inward. As a result, they can cause many problems around the anus, for example, because they can close the rectum. Melanomas usually occur in horses over the age of 10 and can be benign or malignant. When melanomas grow or spread to an extreme, they are usually malignant melanomas.

How to treat melanomas?

Every melanoma is different and that sometimes makes treatment difficult. There is therefore no treatment that can be used for all melanomas. A vet will look for the right approach for each horse. Through a biopsy, the vet can look at a piece of tissue and in this way determine whether it is a benign or malignant melanoma. Sometimes melanomas are removed if they cause discomfort to the horse. This can be done by surgically cutting out the melanoma or by using liquid nitrogen, for example. As a horse owner, you can also support your horse with supplements. The combination of triphala and black cumin contribute to this!

Why triphala and black cumin in melanomas

Did you know that black cumin is used in many countries for cancer? Thymoquinone is the active ingredient of black cumin and has a very high medicinal effect. It is anti-inflammatory, analgesic and also anti-parasitic, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial. But another property of black cumin is that it helps suppress cancer cells. For example, this has been humanely demonstrated in various cancers, where the growth rate of tumors has been inhibited by at least 50%. It also promotes the growth of healthy bone marrow. Black Cumin can thus help horses with melanomas to inhibit the growth of melanomas, improve the horse's resistance and it supports and protects the skin. Also with triphala studies have been done in the human field in melanomas and other cancers. Triphala also appears to have a positive influence on the inhibition of melanoma growth. Especially in skin cancer, triphala has positive results. The combination of these two products is therefore definitely recommended for horses with melanoma. The 2 substances complement and support each other. It therefore supports the inhibition of the growth of melanomas and possibly even a decrease in growth.   Sources: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30643816/ https://www.academia.edu/26175690/Phytochemical_and_anticarcinogenic_evaluation_of_triphala_powder_extract_against_melanoma_cell_line_induced_skin_cancer_in_rats