Greg Tilford Profile Photo

Herbalist, Author, Founder & Formulator of Animal Essentials

Greg Tilford is an herbalist, author, educator, and the founder and formulator of Animal Essentials. He founded the company in 1995 to bring botanical knowledge and practical herbal support into the care of companion animals. His whole-herb, whole-body approach combines traditional herbal knowledge with scientific research and a deep respect for nature.

Greg is the author of five books, including Herbs for Pets: The Natural Way to Enhance Your Pet’s Life. He has taught at veterinary institutions and professional conferences and consulted on herbal formulation for veterinarians. Through his writing, teaching, and product development, he helps pet parents and professionals understand how to use herbs thoughtfully in caring for dogs and cats.

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Sept. 15, 2026

Anti-Pathogenic, Not Antibiotic: Greg Tilford on Herbal Medicine for Pets

Herbs aren't a weaker version of medicine — they're a different paradigm entirely, and almost nobody explains that better than Greg Tilford. As one of the most respected voices in veterinary herbalism, author of multiple books on the subject, and a driving force behind bringing herbal medicine into mainstream animal care, Greg joins The Pet Parenting Reset to talk about what it actually means for an herb to be anti-pathogenic — working with the body's own terrain to make it inhospitable to illness, rather than carpet-bombing everything the way antibiotics do. We get into how domestication and modern pet life cut dogs and cats off from the plant-seeking instincts their wild ancestors relied on constantly, why whole-plant complexity often outperforms isolated compounds, and how to start building a basic herbal toolkit at home before you actually need one. Greg's approach is rooted in ecology as much as biology — herbalism not just as medicine, but as a relationship with the land itse…
Guest: Greg Tilford