Tasty Methods to Get Children or Elderly Patients to Take Herbs or Medicine

One of the problems with herbs and medicine is that they don't taste good. Many children and adults will not swallow tablets or capsules either. Some herbs and medicines are available in liquid form but many are not. So here are tips to help you get the medicine or herbs down with the least resistance.

Herb Jell-O: One of the best ways to get children or elderly adults to take unpleasant tasting herbs, medicine, or vitamins is to mix it in Jell-O. Jell-O is loved by most everyone, tastes good, goes down quickly and gently.

You may need to experiment to see which flavor of Jell-0 masks the taste of the herb. Grape, lime or cherry are good flavors to start with. Make a small amount first so you don't waste the herb. A suggestion is to start out using only 1/4 of the box, then add 1/4 cup boiling water, 1 oz tincture, and 1 oz cold water.

After it is mixed, you can pour it into ice cube trays or small individual molds to equal 6 doses for consistency Getting some cute molds in the form of animals or other shapes might help.

You can use infusions, tinctures, decoctions, or powdered dried herbs in the Jell-o. Natural antibiotics such as Goldenseal and Echineacea taste bitter. Grape Jell-O would be the best bet on that. Goldenseal is especially bitter so try a quarter tsp first. Sample the mixture yourself first before giving it your loved one. Vitamin C powder in lemon Jell-O is one I have used before with grandchildren.

Peppermint, Ginger, Chamomile, Lemon balm, Fennel, and Meadowsweet are all herbs that soothe the stomach and help with digestion. Catnip and fennel is also a good combination.These are all gentle enough to use with children or adults.

For adults a suggestion is Valerian or St. John's Wort flavored Jell-O. Valerian is for the nervous system. St. John's Wort is for mild to moderate depression. Many of the elderly have digestion problems due to age and the side effects of drugs so peppermint or fennel Jell-O might be helpful. Try these suggestions out and see if it helps. Each child or adult is different and it may take some experimentation to find the path of least resistance to get the medicine down. Many elderly patients have lost their sense of taste so this makes it easier with some patients.

In health food stores you can also find vegetarian Jell-O. It is made from flavored pectin. Hains is one of the brands I have purchased before.

Applesauce or Pudding: In nursing homes, nurses use both applesauce and pudding to put medicine in. The tablet is crushed finely and then mixed in. In my experience, most of the time the medicine does goes down.It doesn't entirely hide the taste but helps greatly.

Grape Juice: Tinctures and bitter herbs often work well mixed with grape juice. I take Goldenseal extract in grape juice or cranberry juice and it isn't too bad. It depends on the sensitivity of your taste buds.

Honey with herbs: Depending on the herb, honey mixed with the herb will get it taken. Have them finish with a grape juice chaser. Honey is also healing and soothing to the throat as well. Real maple syrup or honey can work when taking herbs for a sore throat or cough.

Jelly or Preserves: This way is not the healthiest but it works. You can get pure fruit only preserves with no added sugar. I have used preserves as a topping for pancakes instead of syrup. They generally run more expensive than preserves with added sugar. I have seen this method used for both kids and in nursing homes. I prefer to try the other methods first.

Warnings: Never take herbs and drugs together without physician supervision. Remember that anyone can have an allergy reaction to an herb. When giving children herbs, the dosage needs to cut down dramatically. It is best to consult an herb book or holistic physician on the dosage. If they are taking medication for ADD Or ADHD, you may get side effects when taking herbs as well. The herbs may make the ADD medicine more potent, reduce its effects, or give other side effects. There are many herbs that should not be given to children. There are many herbs that need physician supervision when given to children. It is always advised to take precautions when dosing children whether it be OTC medicines, prescriptions, or natural medicines.

I would suggest the book below if you are interested in making your own cough syrups, tinctures, and extracts. It is considered a textbook in the field of herbal medicine.

References:

The Herbal Medicine-Makers Handbook, by James Green, Herbalist, Crossing Press, pps.230-235