Herbal Remedy in Children

Herbal Remedy in Children:
Indications and Risks
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Herbal Remedy in Children:
Indications and Risks
Introduction
The earliest civilizations of man acknowledged the effective role of herbs and complementary medicine in health. Herbal remedies refer to the component of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) that involves the use of whole herbs and other medicinal plants, or of its parts, in the prevention or treatment of diseases. Herbal remedies, or sometimes termed as herbal therapy, also involves the use of medicinal plants, wherein these herbs or their parts may be brewed in decoctions or teas, they may be dissolved in syrups or tinctures, or they may be taken as powders or pills. In herbal remedies, the aforementioned herbs may also be administered as poultices, shampoos, ointments, and/or salves on the skin, mucous membranes, scalp, and others CITATION Woo03 \l 1033 (Woolf, 2003).
Although the advent of technology and modern medicine and the world`s heightened use of tablets and capsules have overshadowed herbal remedies, recent times have begun to acknowledge once more the healing properties of herbs, especially in children. Indeed, (Bishop, Prescott, Chan, Saville, von Elm, and Lewith (2010) noted that six to 91% of pediatric cancer patients utilized herbal remedies. Still, issues have been raised regarding the risks and dangers of using herbal remedies among children. In relation, this paper will then explore the use of herbal remedies in children, its indications for use, as well as the risks involved with the use of herbal remedies in children.
Indications of Herbal Remedy in Children
As a whole, herbal remedy in children is used depending on the recommendations of the pediatrician, or upon the discretion of the parents treating the child. Although numerous health organizations advocate the use of CAM, especially herbal remedies, care should be given in determining the effects and possible risks of a certain plant before it should be used or suggested for a pediatric patient.
Different herbs are used for different conditions in children. Fugh-Berman (2002) notes that some of the most common herbs are indicated for treating the most frequent or usual childhood diseases. For example, herbal teas are sometimes used as a supplement to oral rehydration therapies in children with diarrhea. The same author provided the example of ginger tea as a soothing agent for stomach aches in children. Also, Fugh-Berman (2002) mentioned that for colic, children are sometimes given chamomile or manzanilla tea.
In another study by Lanski, Greenwald, Perkins, and Simon (2003), these authors looked into the prevalence of and re...