Herbs and children

Giving herbal remedies to children is always a source of anxiety. Here’s how to orient yourself in choosing natural remedies for our children.

Giving herbal remedies to children is always a source of anxiety . Here’s how to orient yourself in choosing natural remedies for our children.

Phytotherapy , or the treatment with herbs , has millenary roots. And if you look at history, you discover that not only do the foundations of modern pharmacology lead back to the use of active ingredients offered by nature, but several medicines still in use today have been developed starting from herbs.

The rediscovery of natural treatments based on medicinal plants that has taken place in recent decades is therefore more than justified, but not without risks.

Natural does not always mean harmless

In particular, in children, the use of phytotherapy is often experienced by parents as reassuring in the belief that everything that is “natural” is safe, healthy and undoubtedly better and preferable to a synthetic product.

In reality, it is first of all good to dispel this myth: if used improperly, even a medicinal plant can induce undesirable effects, interact harmfully with other principles or even cause intoxication.

And the preparation of an herbal tea rather than a decoction, a cream or other forms of phytotherapeutic medicines is very different from that of a homemade preserve or yogurt .

The use of herbs cannot and must not take place without specific knowledge of their characteristics, criteria for use, contraindications ( echinacea and propolis , for example, may require caution in allergic children) and possible harmful effects (just as occurs with drugs, as a result of overdose or concomitant intake with other herbs, medicines or foods).

Quality products first

Not only. Production quality is another essential element and requires appropriate training of the health professional.

In fact, the official Italian and European Pharmacopoeia defines specific parameters that must be respected to guarantee raw materials: requirements that ensure not only the method of cultivation, harvesting, storage and processing but also efficacy and safety.

For this reason it is always advisable to refer to herbal medicines from countries with strict regulations such as the Italian one and to avoid buying products on the Internet, especially if offered with names or indications with a strong emotional impact.

Etiquette and safety

Knowing how to read the label is important both for the consumer and for the doctor, pharmacist or other qualified professional who has the task (and responsibility) of giving advice.

The label must include some essential data such as the name of the plant or plants present, the concentration, expressed as a percentage (titre) and the quantity of the active ingredients contained, the recommended daily dose, the warnings and the expiry date.

But herbal medicines, unlike drugs, do not include package inserts , which clearly report precautions, contraindications and undesirable effects. While even for these remedies there are specific limitations, both for age and for conditions such as pregnancy, breastfeeding and so on.

All the more reason the pediatric age imposes some constraints and requires particular attention: it is not obvious, in fact, that a herb usable in adults is also usable in children. Or in the little ones it could require compliance with particular dosage limits.

So it would always be advisable for parents, in addition to verifying the quality of herbal medicines, to always document themselves before administering them on their own initiative.

The safe ones and the less safe ones

Among the many alternatives that nature offers us there are certainly plants that do not pose any problems of use, not even for children.

For example, we can mention: Passiflora , Melissa, Fennel , Grindella, Plantain, Ivy , Psyllium , Cranberry or Cranberry and Blueberry .

While, on the contrary, Echinacea, Propolis and the “innocent” Chamomile can cause allergic reactions in those who are predisposed.

For this reason, if the child is a little agitated or doesn’t sleep, it might be more appropriate to resort to the sedative, anxiolytic and spasmolytic properties of Melissa and Passionflower rather than administering Chamomile.

And what about honey? Appreciated for its emollient, analgesic and antiseptic action, however, it should not be used in the first year of life.

As you can see, it’s always better to ask for advice, if you don’t know well all the effects of plants. Another important aspect is represented by the interactions: different substances can in fact interfere with each other or with other medicines.

There may be an effect of enhancement (for example propolis can increase the effectiveness of an antibiotic ) or vice versa of mutual contrast (fibers and laxatives , such as ispaghula and flaxseed, can for example bind other compounds, reducing their absorption and therefore effectiveness).

Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.

The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.

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