Kids' Herbal Medicine

You would prefer to support your kids’ health naturally but you’ve no idea where to start. The internet is full of wonderful ‘cure-all’ videos and you want to buy something but you’re not sure if you’ll get the actual thing being sold or whether it’s even safe for your child…

Herbal medicines are brilliant for children’s health and ailments. When prescribed appropriately, they rarely have side effects and are generally well-tolerated. It doesn’t need to be exotic or grown in far-flung lands to be effective. This where I come in. I love working with children. I only stock herbs, mostly organic, from reputable suppliers with traceability.

There is something wonderful about treating children with herbs. They haven't spent decades building up the habits, stresses and general wear-and-tear that adults bring into my clinic room — so when the right herbs meet a small body, things tend to shift quickly.

Witnessing a child bounce back to health is one of the real joys of my job.

Children are honest. No qualms about telling me what’s happening in their bodies - and that’s what I want and need to hear about! No overthinking, no worrying about whether it's "all in their head," no history of ignoring symptoms until they become a crisis. Just a straightforward body system doing what it does best, aided by my carefully selected herbal support.

I get it. I'm a mum myself, and my daughter has been supported with things from my herbal dispensary since she was a baby. We have only used one bottle of Calpol in her life and that expired before it was finished! She has got to the point at 9 years old, she knows which of the herbs we use are going to be the best for what she needs. She doesn’t always like the taste, but after all this time, knows it is going to be supportive for her. Even my (somewhat sceptical) husband has seen them help her and reaches for the Chamomile before thinking about anything else.

So, along with the other people's children I've had the pleasure of treating over the years, to my joy, there are a good few little humans in Hertfordshire who have grown up familiar with the taste of my medicine!

The everyday things

You don't need a complex, chronic health issue* to bring your child to see me. Many of my younger patients come in for the ordinary, unglamorous stuff of childhood — the things that cycle through every nursery, playgroup and school year:

• Nits and headlice

• Worms

• Coughs and colds

• Eczema and skin flare-ups

• Chickenpox and other childhood spot-and-rash affairs

• Tummy troubles, teething, sleep — the normal occurrences in a growing body

Herbs have supported families through this list (and much more) for generations… including back when the pharmacy on the corner was an apothecary full of dried herbs and herbal tinctures.

*I also see plenty of those complex, chronic health concerns too.

About the medicine itself

Children are prescribed smaller doses than adults, and I choose the form of the medicine with their age and stage of development in mind:

• Tinctures — if used, at a dose related to body weight, so alcohol content is correspondingly small. Often, a small amount of tincture is blended with a syrup or glycerite.

  If you'd rather avoid alcohol altogether, teas, syrups or glycerine-based preparations are a good alternative.

• Taste — herbal medicine doesn't always win prizes for flavour! My favourite trick is disguising a tincture in a thick juice your child doesn't normally drink (mango works a treat) so medicine taste doesn’t change their usual drink. Having said that, children’s perception of the taste often changes as they feel the effects of it. Parental positive encouragement is welcomed.

• Footbaths — if getting anything past their lips feels like a losing battle, a herbal footbath enjoyed in front of the TV, or at mealtimes, can be a lovely alternative way in.

• Baths - for babies and infants, working with a herbal tea in their bath is a brilliant option.

A quick word on what herbs can (and can't) promise

I'd love to tell you herbs fix everything overnight. And, whilst it may look like a scene from Harry Potter in my consulting room, unfortunately, I don’t have a magic wand!

But, what I can tell you is that, in my 18 years experience as a Medical Herbalist, children's bodies tend to respond really well to the right support. And, they are often really quick to heal. Generally, symptoms begin to shift within the first week. To keep the changes in place, may take a little longer. When an ailment has been in place for a while, it’s usual for things to take a little longer whilst the herbal re-education of the body nudges things back to healthy. That’s normal.

Gentle, well-chosen herbal help alongside rest & recuperation, fluids, helpful foods and TLC will go a long way to restoring your child’s health once more.

If you’re here, you likely have concerns about the health of your little one/s. To find out more about herbal medicine for supporting the health of your family, click below to book an intro chat with me.

What working together looks like

Just as with my adult patients, I don't work from a one-size-fits-all list of " X herb for Y symptom." I get to know your child — their constitution, what else is going on, what they'll actually tolerate — so that what I prescribe is genuinely suited to them, not just the name of their rash or their cough.

When you visit my consulting space, we'll chat about what's going on, I'll ask the questions I need to ask you (with your child there) and your child directly (when they are happy to), and where needed, we can speak without your child present. It is absolutely key that I know about all aspects of the concern.

I put together a herbal remedy specifically designed for your child and their health needs based on what you’ve shared with me, any medications they take and my clinical expertise. Where it will also be useful, I'll also give you simple, practical things you can do at home alongside the herbs. Food changes (where possible), food supplementation and perhaps a tweak to a routine are generally all that’s needed.

If you wish me to, I will also write to your GP with the treatment protocol.