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Herbs For Kids

The power and potency of the healing herbs are very real. Every herbal treatment suggested below has specific healing properties, carefully balanced to create a particular action within your child's body.

Natural medicines are not like manufactured medications. Herbal preparations work gently, so they take time to act internally. When you give your child an herbal preparation, begin with a small amount. Watch closely for signs that symptoms are easing. Observe how the preparation makes your child feel. Using herbal treatment requires observation, coupled with good judgment.

Natural herbal preparations are generally well tolerated by children. Most herbs are nontoxic, with few, if any, harmful side effects. However, it is important to know the action and possible side effects of an herb before you give it. Although it is very unusual, some children may show signs of sensitivity to a particular herb. Reactions can include a headache, an upset stomach, or a rash. If your child has a reaction, discontinue use of the herb.

If your child is responding favorably to the herb, but the reaction is too intense, either decrease the dosage or discontinue use of the herb. For example, say your child is constipated and you administer a laxative herb. If your child begins having diarrhea, you have obviously achieved relief of constipation. It9;s the right idea, but the reaction is too intense. Use your judgment and discontinue the herb. Likewise, if you are giving an herb with expectorant properties and your child begins coughing up large quantities of mucus, you should consider decreasing the dose so expectoration is manageable.

Herbal treatment is useful for both acute and chronic conditions. It is also valuable in maintaining health and preventing illness. Many of the herbal preparations will help boost the immune response and help arm your child against recurrent infections.

Herbs are available in a variety of forms, including fresh, dried, in tablets or capsules, or bottled in liquid form. You can buy them individually or in mixtures formulated for specific conditions. Whatever type of product you choose, the quality of an herbal preparation-be it in capsule, tablet, tea, tincture, bath, compress, poultice, or ointment form-is only as good as the quality of the raw herb from which it was made.

Herbal dosages

• Newborn to two years. One dose equals 3 drops of tincture diluted in 1/4 cup of water, formula, or breast milk, or 2 to 3 teaspoons of tea. A nursing mother may also take an adult dose of the appropriate herbal treatment. The herbs will be transmitted to her baby through her breast milk, filtered and diluted to the appropriate strength.
• Two to six years. One dose equals 6 to 10 drops of tincture diluted in 1/4 cup of water, or 1/4 cup of tea.
• Six to twelve years. One dose equals 10 to 20 drops of tincture, 1/2 cup of tea, or 1 tablet or capsule.
• Twelve years to adult. One dose equals 20 to 40 drops of tincture, 1 cup of tea, or 2 tablets or capsules.

Herbal baths

An herbal bath is as much of a treat as it is a treatment. There are several ways to prepare an herbal bath.

If you are using a soluble ingredient, such as baking soda or aloe vera gel, simply dissolve it in hot bath water.

If you are using oatmeal, you can either whirl it into a powder in your blender or bag it. Oatmeal seems soft, but it doesn't dissolve completely unless it has first been very finely milled.

If you are using fresh herbs, you can bag them in a square of cheesecloth or a washcloth. A two or three thickness square of cheesecloth is ideal. The loose weave permits maximum release of the herbal essence, yet keeps the parts from floating free in the bath water. One method of bagging herbs is to stitch three sides of a cheesecloth square closed and run a drawstring through the top, or tie the bag closed with a sturdy string. An easier and quicker method is to place a suitable quantity of herbs in the middle of a cheesecloth square. Then simply pull the four comers of the square together and secure them with string. (You can do this with a washcloth or small towel, too, but cheesecloth is easier to manage.) For a full bath, use approximately 6 ounces of dried or fresh herbs.

Fill the tub, placing the bagged herbs under a forceful stream of comfortably hot water. As the tub fills, swish the herbs through the bath water. During the bath, gently squeeze an essence-rich stream of water from the herb bag directly on the part of the body you wish to treat. Your child may enjoy soaking and squeezing the bag. If you are treating an itchy skin condition, you may gently rub the bag across the affected areas. Unless you can trust your child not to rub itchy places raw, however, you may want to do this gentle scratching yourself. If you are using dried herbs, you will have to guard against rough parts, which may be irritating. If your child is comforted and soothed by an herbal bath, you may want to be ready with a pre-prepared herbal infusion. Soak 6 tablespoons of dried or fresh herbs overnight in 3 cups of water. Start with very hot water and allow it to cool naturally. The following morning, heat the infusion and strain out the residue. No bag is needed; just pour the strained infusion directly into the bath water.

Herbal infusions (teas)

Medicinal herbs are most often administered in tea form. The Chinese, who have a 5,OOO-year history of herbal medicine, teach that the heat of the water and the taste of the herb enhance its effectiveness. Steeping an herb in hot water draws out the therapeutic essence of the plant.

To prepare hot tea from herbs, measure out 2 heaping tablespoons of herb for every cup of tea (unless the label directs otherwise), and place them in a china or glass teapot or cup (plastic and metal containers are not suitable for steeping herbs). For each cup of tea, pour 8 ounces of freshly boiled water over the herbs. Cover the container. As a general rule, teas made with the leaf or flower of the herb should be allowed to steep for five to ten minutes; teas using roots or bark should be simmered for ten minutes and allowed to steep for an additional five minutes. After steeping, strain the tea, cool it to a comfortable temperature, and serve. If you prepare more than one cup of tea at one time, you can keep it at a comfortable sipping temperature in a thermos bottle.

To make an herbal tea from a tincture or extract, put the suggested number of drops of the extract into a hot cup of water. Let the mixture sit for five minutes to allow some of the alcohol to evaporate.

Herbal juices (juiced fresh herbs)

If you are lucky enough to have a reliable source of fresh herbs and a juicer, you may want to prepare a fresh essence.

Wash the fresh herbs well under cold running water. If necessary, scissor them into pieces of a suitable size. Place the wet herb parts in a juice extractor and whiz them into liquid. The fresh juice may be taken internally in the form of a few drops diluted in tea or spring water. For some conditions, the juice may prove valuable when dabbed externally on the affected parts of the body.

Fresh juices are generally used immediately after extraction. However, if you place the liquid in a small glass bottle, cork it tightly, and refrigerate it, it will keep for several days without an appreciable loss of vital properties.

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