Using Herbal Medicine to Keep Your Family Healthy - Natural, Organic Remedies for Treating Your Child’s Minor Illnesses

What Are Herbal Remedies?
Herbal remedies, also known as medicinal herbs, are herbaceous (non-woody) plants, or products originating from plants, that are used for their healing properties. Herbs are the earliest form of family medicine, traditionally employed to cure illness and promote health for many thousands of years; long before the advent of allopathic medicine (what most of us now consider the traditional, going-to-the-doctor type of medical care).

Organically Home Grown Herbs - Way To Go!
Herbal remedies for many of your children’s minor illnesses can be created from plants you grow yourself or can be obtained as preparations sold in grocery stores, pharmacies and health food stores. Growing indoor herbs on your kitchen window sill sets such a homely scene, and so practical.

The Ornamental Aloe Vera Plant for Skin Burns, Scrapes and Your Children's Summer Legs!

There are many common herbal remedies that can be used to boost your family’s immune system and treat minor injuries and discomforts. Now the beautiful Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis) is a great example of this. You can easily grow this plant in your home (or yard if you live in a warm region, zone 8 or above). This hearty succulent prefers a dry climate and thrives with very little care. The gel produced inside its fleshy leaves is known to have been used for thousands of years to cure many ills, and is most notably applied to sooth burns and scrapes.
The Aloe's healing and natural antibiotic gel is simply smeared directly onto the skin and gently massaged in. It's perfect for all the rough and tumble scratches and grazes chidren get while having fun! As a caring mom, it’s nice to have the opportunity to apply these straightforward, homely, yet highly effectively remedies that also smoothes out the rough edges of your own hands at the same time.
What is more, it makes a great bedroom plant as it absorbs carbon dioxide and gives out oxygen during the night. Just keep it out of reach of children with its prickly leaves.

Chamomile and Lavender to Help Children Sleep

Chamomile and lavender are herbs that produce flowers that possess soothing, relaxing properties. These sweet-smelling herbs grow readily outdoors in most garden soils. They are used to make weak teas and infuse baths to help children sleep more restfully as well as successfully soothing away that occasional upset stomach. Both these two are excellent de-stressors for busy parents as well.
They both also have other specific qualities and remedies associated with them. Lavender, for instance, is also commonly used to relieve headaches in people of all ages.

Herbal Remedies for Upset Stomachs and Colic

In fact, the list of herbs used to treat troubled tummies is a long one. For centuries, Eastern mothers have given their babies extracts made from dill and fennel seeds to ease colic and gas. Even in the Nineteenth-century, European children were given a runny syrup called Gripe Water, which was made from these seeds. A similar product, containing a combination of fennel, chamomile, caraway, coriander and orange peel, is still sold throughout Europe and Asia today.

Herbs Maybe Natural - But Still You Must Use Care

Herbs are natural, but should still be used with intelligent caution. Any substance that can affect the body, whether natural or man-made, has the potential to be a health risk in certain individuals. Although most herbal products have a long history of safe use, they can still be dangerous if a person is allergic to some component of the plant or if the remedy is used incorrectly.
Many modern medicines are derived from plants, and natural curatives sometimes contain chemicals that are as potent as a prescription drug. If you are interested in having your child take an herbal remedy, be sure to let your family doctor know. Your family physician should always be aware of all medications, supplements and home remedies that your child is taking.