Safe Medicinal Herbs for Children

While the majority of medicinal herbs are unstudied in young children, toddlers, and infants, a few key supplements offer health benefits and healing properties that are unmatched in safety and efficacy by pharmaceutical drugs. Elderberry, chamomile, and lemon balm are all essential medicinal herbs for any home with children.

Safe Medicinal Herbs for Children: Chamomile

One of the most well-known healing herbs currently on the market, chamomile is also one of the safest. Its calming, mildly sedative effects are safe even for infants, and its floral, apple-like flavor is a favorite among children. Thanks to numerous scientific studies of this popular herb, its few side-effects are well-documented and generally easy to avoid.

Chamomile's many uses for children revolve around its antispasmodic, antiseptic, anti-anxiety, and anti-inflammatory effects. Chamomile can be used to treat stomach discomforts of all sorts, as well as headaches or other pains associated with anxiety. It is well-known for alleviating hyperactivity and insomnia, making it especially useful for children with ADHD or autism-spectrum disorders.

Safe Medicinal Herbs for Children: Elderberry

Black elderberry syrup, so widely used that it outsells children's cold medicines in some parts of the world, may be the only real cure for the common cold known. Elderberry has powerful antiviral and immune-stimulating properties, and has been clinically proven to decrease the duration of colds, flus, and other viral infections in both children and adults.

Elderberry is very unique among effective alternative medicines because it causes few to no side effects or negative interactions. While even the safest of herbal remedies usually carry some risks, these are limited-- or even nonexistant-- with elderberry. Despite its repeatedly proven effectiveness in children, adults, and even infants, elderberry extract appears to be as safe as pure fruit juice itself.

Safe Medicinal Herbs for Children: Lemon Balm

Parents and caregivers can combine the calming, mildly sedative effects of chamomile with the antiviral punch of elderberry by using lemon balm, a member of the mint family best known for its ability to fight herpes-family viral infections. Because of this, it is especially ideal for children with chicken pox, CMV, roseola, Eppstein-Barr, or cold sores. Its antiviral effects may also combat flus and colds in a manner that is both safe and effective for children.

Lemon balm also acts to soothe anxiety and decrease physical symptoms of stress, which is important for children with anxiety disorders or who are undergoing difficult times. Its anti-hyperactivity and mild sedative effects are also highly beneficial for treating insomnia and the symptoms of ADHD and learning disabilities.

Although these medicinal herbs are all generally regarded as safe by the FDA and the majority of physicians and herbalists, it is still very important that parents refrain from giving herbal supplements to their children without first getting the go-ahead from a qualified pediatrician. Only a medical doctor with a full knowledge of your child's health history can make an accurate and safe determination about the safety of an herb in your specific situation.

You may also be interested in these related articles by this author:

"How to Get Children to Drink Herbal Tea"

"Best Supplements for Children with Autism"

"Which Herbs are Safe while Breastfeeding?"

"Safe, Natural Sleep Aids for Children with Insomnia"

Sources Used:

A combination of valerian and lemon balm is effective in the treatment of restlessness and dyssomnia in children. Phytomedicine, Volume 13, Issue 6, Pages 383 - 387

de Sousa AC, Alviano DS, Blank AF, Alves PB, Alviano CS, Gattass CR. Melissa officinalis L. essential oil: antitumoral and antioxidant activities. J Pharm Pharmacol . 2004;56(5):677-81.

"Inhibition of Several Strains of Influenza Virus in Vitro and Reduction of Symptoms by an Elderberry Extract (Sambucus Nigra L.) During an Outbreak of Influenza B Panama". The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 1995, 1 (4):361-369