Keep Kids Healthy with Herbs

Herbal Remedies for Children: Mild, effective herbs that are kind on kids.

July/August 2005
By Lynda McCullough 
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Natural remedies can be a parent’s best friend when it comes to treating children’s ailments and upsets. In fact, herbs can be particularly safe and effective for children because herbs tend to be so much gentler than pharmaceutical alternatives. It’s best to use natural medicines with the supervision of a qualified practitioner, but mild herbs, such as chamomile, lemon balm and fennel, have been safely used by children for centuries.

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Herbalist, educator and activist Rosemary Gladstar says children’s bodies are particularly sensitive and respond quickly to the healing properties of herbs. She feels that, armed with some basic knowledge of mild, easy-to-use herbs, parents needn’t fear giving herbs to their children.

“Herbalism was once considered the simplest medicine, and was accessible to everyone,” Gladstar says. “The only reason it seems complex is because we’ve been separated from our herbal traditions.” This separation has led to modern concerns about the safety of herbal medicine, Gladstar adds, but this concern may stem from lack of familiarity.

“Administered wisely,” Gladstar says, “herbs do not upset the delicate ecological balance of children’s small bodies as does much of modern medicine, but rather work in harmony with the young child’s system.” Herbs can be used for ailments such as colds, flus, colic and teething, as well as common childhood illnesses, such as measles and chicken pox. They can be used to calm irritability or to encourage sleep.

The most important thing to remember is to give children appropriate dosages. Keep in mind that most product labels recommend dosages for 150-pound adults, so adjust according to your child’s weight. Herbalist and midwife Aviva Romm recommends that if a remedy seems ineffective, you may need to adjust the dose. However, don’t give more of an herb just to achieve faster results — herbs don’t work on a “more is better” principle.

Provide a Gentle Touch with Homeopathy

Homeopathy is another approach that can be used to treat common childhood ailments. It is safe, does not cause side effects, and the approach to treatment is the same for children and adults; it involves determining constitution and administering doses of a remedy derived from plant, mineral, animal or chemical substances.

Dana Ullman, a homeopath and director of Homeopathic Educational Services in Berkeley, California (www.homeopathic.com), says that parents can use various remedies for children at home with success. For more serious problems or recurring symptoms, it’s best to visit a licensed homeopath.

Ullman notes that giving a homeopathic remedy to infants or young children can be tricky because they may not swallow it. However, a remedy takes effect as soon as it contacts the inner surfaces of the mouth, so swallowing isn’t necessary. If the medicine is in liquid form, a small drop is enough for each dose. Or pour a few tiny pellets onto a child’s tongue — they will stick and dissolve quickly. If a remedy comes in a pill or tablet, crush it into a powder between two pieces of clean paper using a heavy object or dissolve them in a spoonful of water and give the child a small drop.

Ullman suggests the following homeopathic remedies for home use with children:

• Chamomilla is used for hyperactive infants and young children who are restless and irritable. It also helps babies suffering from teething pain or colic. Use it when an infant cries incessantly except when being carried or when a child is hyperirritable and has tantrums.

• Belladonna is helpful for fevers, when a child has a flushed face, throbbing headache, drowsiness but difficulty falling asleep and swollen glands and radiating heat. It is used for measles, when there is a sudden onset of high fever, with a flushed face and reddened lips.

• Apis is one of the key remedies for sore throat when the tonsils are puffy and red, when it hurts to eat or drink anything warm, and when relief comes from sucking an ice cube. It is a leading remedy for hives when the skin is swollen, red and sensitive to heat, often from an allergic response.

• Bryonia is the leading remedy for coughs, especially dry coughs aggravated by motion.

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