Herbal remedies for children of all ages

Whether baby, toddler, schoolchild or teenager: naturopathy knows many herbal remedies for children that can help with illnesses and complaints. Herbal remedies usually have fewer side effects than chemical-synthetic drugs and are therefore particularly suitable for children. In the following we list the most common complaints in babies, toddlers, school children and adolescents during puberty and refer to their treatment with herbal remedies.

Important: If you want to use herbal remedies for your child, talk to your aftercare midwife or pediatrician about the treatment and always stick to the dosages they recommend.

Herbal remedies for ailments in babies

If your baby is screaming or crying, that’s not necessarily a cause for concern. Nevertheless, you should observe your baby closely in order to recognize many possible complaints that can cause discomfort in your baby in the first few weeks. Herbal remedies from naturopathy can, in consultation with the aftercare midwife or pediatrician, relieve pain and support healing processes.

• Eye infections: Babies often contract infectious conjunctivitis. Your child’s conjunctiva swells and the eyes stick together with pus or viscous mucus. After consultation with your aftercare midwife or doctor, you can get a marigold tincture from the pharmacy to treat the inflammation. Find out in our medicinal plant encyclopedia why herbal remedies containing  calendula help with healing.
• Sore navel: If your newborn’s navel is sore, you can help it heal. Treat the areas gently with ointments containing, for example , sea buckthorn , calendula or arnica . Note: If your newborn’s navel smells swollen, bloody, purulent, or putrid, you should consult your midwife or see a pediatrician directly.
• Stomach pain: If your baby is crying more than usual and you are experiencing gurgling noises in his stomach and bloating, try fennel or rooibos tea to relieve your baby’s pain and get the digestion moving in a gentle way.
• Gas: Babies often swallow too much air while drinking, which can lead to painful gas. To relieve the pain, you can use herbal remedies such as chamomile , lemon balm, anise or caraway.
• Fever: While not a disease, a fever is a symptom that shows your baby’s body is battling an illness. Even without medication, you can fight your baby’s fever with herbal remedies. Find out more about how herbal remedies made from  thyme , linden blossom or chamomile can reduce fever in our medicinal plant lexicon.
• Colic: A colicky baby cries and cries for more than three hours a day, cannot be soothed, pulls its legs against its stomach, and has bloating. In general, colic is not dangerous for your baby, but you should consult a doctor to rule out a serious illness. Herbal remedies containing catnip can help your baby calm down.
• Cradle cap: A scaly rash on your child’s head and face may be cradle cap. The scalp is red and very itchy. Traditionally, cradle cap occurs after the third month of life. Herbal remedies containing wild pansies can help with cradle cap. They reduce itching and reddening of the skin.
• Cold : A cold is usually associated with a cold or flu. Your baby’s nasal mucous membranes swell and make it difficult to breathe. Lime blossom and burnet contain active ingredients that help your child with a cold.
• Injuries during birth: During birth, your baby can be injured due to the narrowness of the birth canal, the pressure during expulsion and mechanical obstetrics. This can result in strains and bruises, for example. Medicinal herbs can speed up the healing process of bruises. In our medicinal plant encyclopedia you can find out more about St. John’s wort , which should preferably be applied several times to the areas in the form of St. John’s wort oil.
• Diaper fungus : Diaper fungus is also commonly called thrush and can occur throughout the diaper period. It is transmitted either directly through touch or indirectly through food or personal hygiene products. Sage inhibits the spread of the responsible fungi and relieves any inflammation that occurs. Herbal remedies containing  chamomile can also help with thrush.
• Teething: Most babies begin to erupt between the ages of five and ten months. Teething can be very painful for your baby. To relieve the pain, you can use sage or the Bach flower Oak .

Herbal remedies for ailments in young children

When something isn’t right and your child isn’t feeling well, it’s often difficult to figure out what’s wrong. This is because many small children have not yet developed the ability to speak and vocabulary to the point where they can describe their symptoms precisely. You can then get help from a pediatrician. In consultation with your doctor, you can also use herbal remedies for many of the following complaints:

• Bladder infection: In the case of a cystitis, bacteria from the intestine usually get into the urethra and bladder. They cause a frequent urge to urinate and burning when urinating. You can read about how herbal remedies made from cranberries , currants , cranberries , maggi herb , bean shells and watercress help with a bladder infection in the individual entries of our medicinal plant encyclopedia.
• Bronchitis: Bronchitis is an acute inflammation of the bronchi. Symptoms are initially a dry, hollow-sounding cough, after a few days expectoration with tough, whitish mucus is added. Your child may also experience rapid breathing, shortness of breath and fever. In this case, you should see a doctor immediately! You can read about how the medicinal plants marshmallow , fennel , chamomile , garlic and cowslip can help relieve your child’s bronchitis in our medicinal plant lexicon.
• Diarrhea: If your child’s stool is loose at least three times a day, your child has diarrhoea. Especially in babies and small children, diarrhea can lead to a high loss of fluids and electrolytes, which can be dangerous for the small body. Find out in our medicinal plant encyclopedia how tormentil and sage can help your child with diarrhea.
• Difficulty falling asleep: If your child is very restless, lies awake for a long time and cannot fall asleep, herbal remedies made from chamomile or lemon balm can help in a natural way. In our medicinal plant encyclopedia you will learn how to make a nightcap from chamomile or lemon balm for a peaceful, gentle sleep.
• Vomiting and spitting up: Vomiting is not an illness, but an expression of an illness. Peppermint herbal remedies can soothe your child’s stomach and make them feel better. Find out how peppermint can help your child in the Medicinal Plant Encyclopedia . But be careful: Vomiting can also be a symptom of a serious illness, so you should discuss treatment with herbal medicines with your pediatrician beforehand.
• Colds: Children catch colds more often than adults because the child’s immune system contains fewer antibodies. However, you can easily alleviate cold symptoms such as fever, runny nose and cough with herbal remedies such as linden blossom , burnet burnet , fennel , elderberry , sea buckthorn and lemon .
• Hay fever: Today almost one million children in Germany suffer from hay fever. Read our medicinal plant dictionary to find out how butterbur and black cumin can help with hay fever.
• Lice: If your child has head lice, you can also get rid of them with herbal remedies. Tea tree oil in the form of shampoo, hair tonic or detergent additive can help against lice .
• Tonsillitis: Tonsillitis is caused by bacteria and causes a sore throat, high fever, and swelling in the throat. Here, too, you should urgently go to the doctor and discuss this with him. Bacterial tonsillitis usually requires antibiotics. In addition, Cystus or tea tree oil can help to inhibit the bacteria and heal the inflammation.
• Strengthening of the immune system: The immune system in young children is weaker because it is not yet mature. Infections in small children are therefore not uncommon. To help your child achieve better health stability, you can give them immune-boosting teas such as Cystus tea .
• Warts: If your child’s immune system is weakened, warts can form more frequently. The viruses usually get into the upper layer of the skin through small injuries and cracks. You can find out how herbal remedies made from thuja , castor oil and celandine can help against warts in our medicinal plant lexicon.

Herbal remedies for school children

As a parent, you wish your child a happy schoolday and that they enjoy going to school. If this is not the case, you are quickly faced with a riddle: What are the reasons for this? Is your child under too much pressure to perform or does it have other problems? To help your child with problems and complaints during school, there are some herbal remedies.

• Fear: If your child is very afraid of failing, is very nervous and fidgety or suffers from exam anxiety, you can give them herbal remedies made from various combinations of medicinal plants, such as St. John’s wort with valerian , ginger with ginkgo or passion flower .
• Tooth decay: Milk teeth are particularly susceptible to tooth decay because they have soft enamel. To prevent tooth decay in your child, you can use herbal remedies such as green tea , tea tree oil or clove oil . These herbal remedies can also help with toothache. In addition, you should always visit a dentist.
• Difficulty concentrating: Does your child have trouble concentrating and is easily distracted? Is it also very forgetful and overwhelmed with schoolwork? Then you can help him with herbal remedies such as fenugreek , rosemary or peppermint . However, if the symptoms are very pronounced and permanent, you should definitely seek medical advice.
• Nervousness, restlessness: If your child is often nervous and restless, this can lead to sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating and learning problems. There are also herbal remedies for nervousness and restlessness. Passion flower in the form of tea and valerian have proven themselves in many cases. In the event of particularly severe and lasting symptoms, however, you should definitely consult a doctor!

Naturopathy for children in puberty

During puberty, your child’s body changes – it slowly grows up. The hormonal change leads to a great emotional chaos and physical discomfort in many teenagers. Herbal remedies can help your child during puberty:

• Acne: If excess sebum clogs the pores and there are also special bacteria on the skin, pimples or widespread acne usually occur. Herbal remedies made from calendula and sage can help cleanse and soothe inflamed skin.
• Greasy hair: Due to the hormonal changes, more sebum is produced on the scalp, which makes the hair greasy. Herbal remedies like tea tree oil and thyme can help with oily hair.
• Moodiness, emotional lows: Due to the hormonal changes during puberty, moodiness often occurs in teenagers. School stress or lovesickness can also throw your child off balance emotionally. With the help of St. John’s wort , your child can get his moods under control and, above all, overcome emotional lows.
• Period: If your daughter’s period is very heavy and she suffers from cramping abdominal pain, you can prepare a tea made from rose petals and dead nettle blossoms to relieve the symptoms.
• Irritability: Puberty in teenagers is often characterized by aggression, anger and tantrums. If your child is feeling particularly irritable and restless, soothing teas or aromatherapy can help your child (and you). Tea made from valerian or lemon balm and scented oils from lemon balm or rose petals relax you and your child during this difficult time.
• Dandruff: Your child’s hair may be stringy and dull, and greasy dander may come off when brushing. You can make herbal anti-dandruff shampoo with the medicinal plants thyme , horsetail and rosemary or with tea tree oil .