Our Origin Story

We got the idea for Gold Standard Herbs from Dr. Steve Marsden, one of the world's foremost holistic veterinarians. He is a conventionally trained veterinarian who went on to become a naturopathic physician and board-certified Chinese medical practitioner for humans. He adapted his human medical experience to animals, becoming one of the pioneers of American holistic veterinary medicine in the process.

If you Google Dr. Marsden, you'll see over the next twenty five years that he went on to receive several awards, lecture at hundreds of veterinary colleges and conventions on five continents, write or contribute to numerous textbooks and articles, co-found CIVT (a distance learning college for vets), and start Natural Path Herb Company, to ensure the vets he was teaching had access to high quality herbal supplements.

One lesson he learned in his career is that when the right herbs are paired with a real food diet, beautiful things happen. He also learned it often takes a skilled holistic veterinarian to figure that combination out.

Another thing he noticed, though, is that at least for some conditions, he always found himself reaching for the same formulas. These specific formulas have proven their safety and worth through hundreds or even thousands of years of human use. Why not offer them directly to the public to eliminate what suffering we can in their pets?

Dr. Marsden gave us those formulas and guided us as we tested and improved upon them over the next couple of years, putting them to work for heroic organizations dedicated to improving the lives of animals. 

The end result of all this work is finally available for you to try! Our formulas go well beyond run-of-the-mill supplements, because no other products on the store shelves have these ingredients. Holistic veterinarians may stock these formulas of course, but if you you're not lucky enough to have one near you, at least you can finally access them yourself.

Helpful Heroes

Being the Gold Standard for herbs means making sure our products work. The organizations listed here not only make the world a better place, but have helped us test and refine our products to boost their safety and effectiveness. When you buy products from us through them, some of that money goes back to them so they can continue fighting the good fight.

Sarah MacKeigan of Upward Dog Rehab and Wellness is a well known Canadian physiotherapist and canine rehab therapist with a special interest in treating canine neurologic conditions. She is playing a central role in finding and communicating means for managing degenerative myelopathy, the "canine version of ALS" and provides online education for both dog parents and professionals.

Staff members like Suzy Clayton of the San Diego Humane Society have allowed us to help their own pets and have spread the word of their successes with some of their Rescue Partners.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Laura Oliver of Lionel's Legacy, for allowing us to partner with her in trying to improve the quality of life of the countless senior dogs that she supports and finds foster homes for

”Our family is so happy that we found a holistic treatment plan that is easy to maintain and has made such a profound difference in our pets' well-being. If you are hesitant to try Gold Standard Herbs, do yourself and your pet the favor and take that leap”

- Suzy Clayton, San Diego Humane Society

”Our dogs are living longer more quality filled lives thanks to using Gold Standard Herbs. Lionel's Legacy rescues and rehabilitates homeless senior dogs. As pets age we see many chronic ailments like congestive heart failure, cognitive dysfunction, arthritis, pancreatitis, allergies, renal disease and much more. Their formulas have been a true gift to our senior sweeties and we can't wait for others to see their pets thrive on them too!”

- Laura Oliver, Lionel's Legacy

"My sweet little foster dog Bissmar became paralyzed Dec 2020. He went on steroids and several other conventional medications and nothing helped. After 3 months he went on Gold Standard Herbs plus chiropractic treatments and acupuncture. The day after starting herbs his little legs were actually lifting a tiny bit for the first time in 3 months. By September 2021, he is completely walking on his own and even runs and chases other dogs! We are so happy he has his quality of life back now."

- Lina Wang, San Diego

Pure and Natural

From beginning to end, we leave nothing to chance in creating a pure and natural supplement for your pet. All our products begin as tiny seeds planted in fertile soil, where they grow under optimal conditions to be harvested at the peak of quality.

Next, they make their way to FDA-inspected and -registered facilities where they are decocted, dried and blended to our specifications using GMP practices.

Many companies standardize their extracts for one or two plant compounds, throwing away everything else. We make whole herb extracts, however, because studies have shown a synergy between all their ingredients that actually makes them stronger.

The result is a collection of concentrated whole herb human-grade extracts which have been used for centuries in people, but which animals happen to thrive on as well. 

Herbs and Food: A Dynamic Duo

Many people try to restore their pet's health by changing the diet first. Adding Gold Standard Herbs in to the new food can prevent upset stomachs during a transition to a new diet and back up many of a healthy diet's benefits, including:

• Supporting a healthy microbiome
• Modulating the immune system
• Protecting digestion
• Optimizing circulation to resolve inflammation and halt degeneration 

These improvements are maximized on 'real food' diets such as: 

• Diets made in commercial kitchens
• Commercially made raw diets
• Freeze-dried diets
• Home-cooked meals

Maybe, though, you're not ready to change the diet. No worries. Gold Standard Herbs can get the ball rolling in terms of what a healthy diet would accomplish. If you see results, you'll know a diet change is a good next step.