Understanding the Risk & Supporting Your Animals
Facial Eczema (FE) remains one of the most challenging animal-health issues for New Zealand farmers. Every Summer and Autumn the combination of warm nights and moisture creates ideal conditions for Pithomyces chartarum, the fungus responsible for producing sporidesmin, a toxin that causes the liver damage when affected by facial eczema.
While we have strong conventional tools like zinc, pasture management, and spore count monitoring, many farmers also look for additional support to help protect or provide recovery in their herds. In this post, we’ll break down how FE affects animals and where natural remedies such as the FE Nosode, Chelidonium, and Hypericum can work alongside standard prevention methods.
What Causes Facial Eczema?
Facial Eczema isn’t a skin disease—it’s a toxin-induced liver disease. When cows ingest spores containing sporidesmin, the toxin damages the liver and bile ducts. As the liver becomes compromised, it struggles to remove chlorophyll breakdown products from the bloodstream. These compounds then accumulate in the skin, making the animal extremely sensitive to sunlight.
How FE Affects Animals
Not every animal shows visible signs, but liver damage can still be occurring.
Common visible symptoms include:
Restlessness and seeking shade
Drooping ears
Red, swollen or peeling skin, especially on the face, teats, and udder
Reduced milk production
Weight loss
Pain or irritability when touched
Lethargy, reduced grazing activity
Less visible but highly significant:
Reduced immune function
Lower reproductive performance
Long recovery periods after outbreaks
Decreased lifetime productivity
Many animals suffer subclinical FE, where no skin changes occur, but milk production and long term health still take a hit.
Conventional Prevention Still Comes First
Nothing replaces:
Zinc supplementation (drench, water treatment, or bolus)
Spore count monitoring
Pasture management (avoiding high risk paddocks, topping, supplementary feed)
Shade access
Your homeopathic products are best used alongside these tools, not instead of them.
Homeopathic Support Options
FE nosode (Preventative Support)
The FE nosode is used before and during high-risk periods to help support the animal’s natural resilience.
Farmers often start in early summer and continue through autumn, pairing it with their normal zinc strategy. The aim is to strengthen the herd’s overall response to seasonal toxin stress and maintain steadier production during risky weather patterns.
Alfalfa / Minerals / Chelidonium
A supportive combination for animals already under facial eczema stress, especially where:
Appetite is poor
Weight loss is occurring
Overall energy or thriftiness has dropped
Alfalfa supports general nutrition and recovery, the minerals help stabilise metabolic processes, and Chelidonium provides targeted support for liver function, which is central to FE recovery.
Chelidonium (Liver Support)
Chelidonium is one of the most commonly used remedies for liver inflammation, bile duct issues, and toxin overload, essentially helping the liver to rejuvenate.
It fits well for:
Cows showing mild FE symptoms
Animals with confirmed liver enzyme changes
Support during recovery after a high-spore period
Hypericum (Skin & Nerve Sensitivity)
Hypericum is used for pain and hypersensitivity, particularly where the skin is extremely tender or damaged by sunlight.
It helps support comfort in animals with:
Red, sore or peeling skin
Irritability from nerve pain
TEAT or udder sensitivity related to photo-sensitisation
When to Use What
Here is the farmer friendly order of use:
During FE risk season (preventative):
Zinc + FE nosode
If animals show early signs (quiet, shade-seeking, drop in production):
Chelidonium, or
Alfalfa/Minerals/Chelidonium
If visible skin signs appear:
Add Hypericum to support comfort
For long-term recovery:
Chelidonium or
Alfalfa/Minerals/Chelidonium (especially for gaining weight back)
Facial Eczema is a multifaceted challenge - part pasture, part weather, part management, but supporting liver health and resilience can make a meaningful difference. Homeopathic options like the FE nosode and liver supporting remedies provide farmers with natural tools that work alongside conventional methods to help animals cope better through the season.
