I am sitting at my niece Chloe’s desk writing this column. She is building a Lego house behind me, her sister is offering unsolicited assistance, and her brother is refereeing. My sister-in-law is trying to redirect the action, not so successfully.
Soon they will be all outside, riding their bikes, scooters, playing on the trampoline and all those fun things kids love to do in the summer.
Being surrounded by this lovely kid energy, I thought it was time for a column on herbal medicine and children.
Some remarkable children will take any herb given them but for the majority, this simply is not the case.
Although an herbalist can try to hide the bitter taste many herbs carry with the sweetness of licorice (glycyrrhiza spp.) or the minty freshness of peppermint (menthe piperita), most children are not easily fooled into taking herbal medicine.
To help children take herbal medicine, herbalists have devised many ways to trick the child into believing the medicine tastes good. One advantage the herbalist has is: children respond well to herbal medicine, the simpler the medicine the better and children only need plant medicine in low doses. These conditions limit both the amount of medicine and the length of time needed for the medicine.
My favourite and simplest is herbal tea with honey. Many herbs can be offered as teas and bring great benefit to a child during illness.
Linden flower (tilia europa) is a mild tasting tea that helps ease a sick child into sleep while managing her fever.
Hyssops (hyssops officinalis) when brewed as a tea has a tangy, mild flavour. It opens up airways and offers anti-microbial actions helping the child’s body resolve respiratory tract. The added honey also has anti-bacteria actions and will soothe any accompanying irritation.
When a child has a chronic digestive challenge such as celiac disease herbal tea of nettles (utrica dioica) or alfalfa (medicago sativa) will offer easily absorbed minerals while calming inflammation in the digestive tract. Nettles can also be helpful for children and parents struggling with type one diabetes.
Rosehip tea is a great tea to offer children all winter. Rosehips being very high in vitamin C and its friend flavonoids help the child’s body overcome those many transient childhood illnesses. The vitamin C and all the goodness that comes from it is much more bioavailable than candy-type vitamins, and has no added artificial flavouring or binding agents. A cup of tea is a great bedtime ritual for the whole family.
My other favoured method for getting medicine into children is with food. This is particularly the case when a child struggles with chronic constipation.
It is important to explore the underlying cause of the constipation that can be caused by foods or stress, but in the meantime, it is essential to help the child’s bowels move.
I like to begin with a fruit stew.
Stewed fruit
(A yummy, bowel-friendly laxative)
1-cup prunes cut them into quarters
1/2 cup Thompson raisons
1 cup pitted figs, cut in half
1 cup dried apricots, cut in half
3 apples, core and cut into pieces (leave the skin on)
2 pears, core and cut into pieces (leave the skin on)
Mix together in a pot. Add enough water so the bottom of the pot is covered, and there is about an inch of water. Bring to a gentle simmer, put the lid on and simmer until apples are soft. If the stew is too thick add in more water.
Note: For minerals: add 1 tablespoon of molasses. Store in the fridge.
Stewed fruit is a laxative full of natural goodness, is inexpensive and easy to make. I recommend a ½ teaspoon to 2 tablespoons (depending on the child’s size) mixed with a plain organic yogurt daily.
Sometimes a herbalist, no matter how much she tries not, has to offer a child unpleasant-tasting herbs. In this situation, I make a glycerite for the child. A glycerite is a mix of herbs, vegetable glycerin and water. Glycerin is very sweet and it almost masks the taste of the herbs. When offered in drops and diluted in a little bit of water, the unpleasant taste is significantly reduced.
At the moment, there is a truce in the house among the kids. My Mom made her grandkids some delicious cookies full of goodness and love. Don’t forget the cookie medicine.
Herbs for Life is written by Abrah Arneson, a local clinical herbalist. It is intended for information purposes only. Readers with a specific medical problem should consult a doctor. For more information, visit www.abraherbalist.ca. Arneson can be reached www.abraherbs.com.