I am not a herbalist but I have tried lot of herbal remedies for common ailments and have found fantastic results. I have tried certain herbal remedies for my young son and have found them to be very effective.

Building Resistance to Common Ailments

Two years ago, my son had to take 2-3 courses of antibiotics (during fall-winter season) and this past fall he took none. I consider that’s the way it has to be. I heard from a friend who tried a resistance liquid (mixture of Echinacea, Goldnseal, and Yin Chiao) for her two children. I started my son on the herbal resistance liquid once a day in early fall and he did not catch any infection in spite of children in his school being sick and even when I had pneumonia and bronchitis. He was able to build his immunity very well. Now I give him the resistance liquid only when I see that he is starting to get a cold and continue to give it for a week and he is well within a couple of days.

Treating Cough and Common Cold

I see children coughing and having runny noses, and parents ignore that it is a part of being a child. I don’t think it is. Kids should be healthy and happy. We feel uncomfortable when we have a cold or cough; we do everything in our means to feel comfortable. In the case of children, however, even doctors tell us to wait it out and come back only when they run a temperature. I am not advocating to give children any herbal remedy that comes along. But with a little research I have been able to find a lot of safe remedies that helped my son.

For example,

• You can calm a cough by giving a honey lemon mixture (1 part lemon or lime juice and 3 parts honey). This is a very good remedy.

• If a child is older and can handle a stronger taste, thyme tea is very effective. You make this by boiling thyme leaves for 15 mins in water; then strain it into a cup and add honey to sweeten it. This is such an effective cough suppressant that you can’t believe it until you try it. I got this recipe from a person who works in our local grocery store in the organic section. This person’s wife is from Guatemala and it is is a home remedy used there; I tried it and it worked great. All the cough remedies in the drug store are as effective as just giving your child sugar syrup. There are many articles on the web that confirm this fact.

Treating Skin Conditions like Eczema

When my son was about 4 years old he developed rashes under his arms. The pediatrician said it was eczema and when we took him to the dermatologist she said it was just overactive sweat glands. The solution they both suggested was to use cortizone in the case of an outbreak and discontinue once it clears. They said it was not curable. I went to our local health food store and picked up a homeopathic cream called Psorzema and used it for 10 days (3 times daily) and it completely cleared. It is an excellent moisturizer and I still use it every other day and he never got those rashes and now he is now 7. When we believe in our heart that an ailment can be cured we automatically find ways to address it.

Relieving Muscle Pain

I recently saw a TV news item which said that more liver ailments are related to Tylenol than to alcohol. I was shocked. I have never used Tylenol excessively for my son. I have used it when he complained of leg pains in the middle of the night. Now that he is seven, I have explained to him that Tylenol should be taken only if he is in severe pain. If he has leg pain I press his feet and massage Arnica gel and he feels comfortable within 20 mins. For muscle pain Arnica is a very effective topical pain reliever. To enhance the pain relieving properties of Arnica place a warm towel on the affected area. My son says he is completely relieved within 15 minutes. Even if you give Tylenol it will take 45 mins to an hour to take effect.

Treating Motion Sickness

Many children feel car-sick on long drives. I read that taking a ginger capsule with food an hour before the drive can solve the problem. I tried it first and found it to be as effective as Dramamene but did not make me drowsy. I tried it for my son and he was able to feel good on a long drive. Ginger is used in cooking and so I think it is safe.

I am not against western medicine; it has its place in our pursuit of good health. However for many everyday ailments in children we can find alternative remedies that are far more effective with minimal or no side effects. We can have a healthy integration of the two. I am against conventional medical doctors who frown at alternative therapies. I am also against herbalists who think that western medicine is useless. Children deserve to enjoy a healthy life and I think it can be best achieved by integrating conventional and alternative medicine.