The Everything Guide to Herbal Remedies by Martha Schindler Connors Page B
Authors: Martha Schindler Connors
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treats ADHD with stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall) and methylphenidate hydrochloride (Ritalin) or atomoxetine hydrochloride (Strattera). Side effects can include decreased appetite, insomnia, anxiety, stomachache, or headache.
Herbalism offers a few alternatives (these herbs can also be used in conjunction with conventional ADHD treatments):
• American ginseng
(Panax quinquefolius)
Preliminary evidence has shown that a combination of ginkgo
(Ginkgo
biloba)
and American ginseng extracts can reduce anxiety, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in children.
• Flax
(Linum usitatissimum)
Research shows that kids with ADHD have lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for psychological functioning. There’s evidence that supplementing kids with omega-3s, like those in flax oil, can alleviate symptoms of ADHD.
• Ginkgo
(Ginkgo biloba)
It’s best known for improving cognitive functioning in older people, but research shows that ginkgo can reduce anxiety, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in kids, too.
• Maritime pine
(Pinus pinaster)
An extract from this tree’s bark has been shown to reduce hyperactivity and increase attentiveness and concentration in kids with ADHD.
Kids, Colds, and Flu
Most preschoolers and school-age kids get between six and ten colds every year (they don’t call it the common cold for nothing). Influenza, a.k.a. “the flu,” is much less common (and much more serious). It puts more than 20,000 children under the age of five into the hospital every year.
The flu can be especially tough on young children. Thus, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all children between six months and five years old get a flu shot. For more on colds and flu, see Chapter 13 . Several herbs can help keep a child’s immunity high—and her risk of colds and flu low.
• American ginseng
(Panax quinquefolius)
American ginseng is an adaptogen—it increases the body’s resistance to stress—and research shows it might decrease your child’s risk of getting sick (and if he does, it can reduce the severity and duration of his symptoms).
• Andrographis
(Andrographis
This herb seems to boost immune function. A combination of andrographis and eleuthero
(Eleutherococcus senticosus)
has been shown to paniculata) significantly improve symptoms of the common cold in kids.
• Echinacea
(Echinacea purpurea)
Echinacea stimulates immunity and has been proven to reduce the severity and duration of colds.
• Licorice
(Glycyrrhiza glabra)
This is an ancient remedy for bronchial congestion, sore throat, and coughs—and most kids love the taste. It’s a natural expectorant, cough-suppressant, and pain reliever.
• Slippery elm
(Ulmus rubra)
The “slippery” mucilage in this tree’s inner bark makes a soothing remedy for cough-ravaged throats.
Cough and cold medicines can cause serious problems—and send about 7,000 kids to the hospital every year, most often because of accidental overdosing. Research shows that cold medicines seldom produce significant improvements in children, even when used properly, and they’re not recommended at all for children under four.
Other Childhood Infections
By the time they reach kindergarten, most children are socially active (and thus exposed to plenty of disease-causing microbes), meaning very few kids can make it through a school year without at least one bout with a cold or other contagious disease.
Chickenpox, an infection with a virus called
varicella zoster,
is one of the most common childhood diseases in the United States. However, it seems to be on its way out, thanks to a vaccine that was introduced in the mid-1990s. Chickenpox produces a series of small, itchy blisters that look like chickpeas (and give the disease its name), as well as fever and fatigue.
Infectious Diseases
Kids catch lots of infections that produce unpleasant symptoms, such as sore throat and cough (see above), as well
Herbalism offers a few alternatives (these herbs can also be used in conjunction with conventional ADHD treatments):
• American ginseng
(Panax quinquefolius)
Preliminary evidence has shown that a combination of ginkgo
(Ginkgo
biloba)
and American ginseng extracts can reduce anxiety, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in children.
• Flax
(Linum usitatissimum)
Research shows that kids with ADHD have lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for psychological functioning. There’s evidence that supplementing kids with omega-3s, like those in flax oil, can alleviate symptoms of ADHD.
• Ginkgo
(Ginkgo biloba)
It’s best known for improving cognitive functioning in older people, but research shows that ginkgo can reduce anxiety, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in kids, too.
• Maritime pine
(Pinus pinaster)
An extract from this tree’s bark has been shown to reduce hyperactivity and increase attentiveness and concentration in kids with ADHD.
Kids, Colds, and Flu
Most preschoolers and school-age kids get between six and ten colds every year (they don’t call it the common cold for nothing). Influenza, a.k.a. “the flu,” is much less common (and much more serious). It puts more than 20,000 children under the age of five into the hospital every year.
The flu can be especially tough on young children. Thus, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all children between six months and five years old get a flu shot. For more on colds and flu, see Chapter 13 . Several herbs can help keep a child’s immunity high—and her risk of colds and flu low.
• American ginseng
(Panax quinquefolius)
American ginseng is an adaptogen—it increases the body’s resistance to stress—and research shows it might decrease your child’s risk of getting sick (and if he does, it can reduce the severity and duration of his symptoms).
• Andrographis
(Andrographis
This herb seems to boost immune function. A combination of andrographis and eleuthero
(Eleutherococcus senticosus)
has been shown to paniculata) significantly improve symptoms of the common cold in kids.
• Echinacea
(Echinacea purpurea)
Echinacea stimulates immunity and has been proven to reduce the severity and duration of colds.
• Licorice
(Glycyrrhiza glabra)
This is an ancient remedy for bronchial congestion, sore throat, and coughs—and most kids love the taste. It’s a natural expectorant, cough-suppressant, and pain reliever.
• Slippery elm
(Ulmus rubra)
The “slippery” mucilage in this tree’s inner bark makes a soothing remedy for cough-ravaged throats.
Cough and cold medicines can cause serious problems—and send about 7,000 kids to the hospital every year, most often because of accidental overdosing. Research shows that cold medicines seldom produce significant improvements in children, even when used properly, and they’re not recommended at all for children under four.
Other Childhood Infections
By the time they reach kindergarten, most children are socially active (and thus exposed to plenty of disease-causing microbes), meaning very few kids can make it through a school year without at least one bout with a cold or other contagious disease.
Chickenpox, an infection with a virus called
varicella zoster,
is one of the most common childhood diseases in the United States. However, it seems to be on its way out, thanks to a vaccine that was introduced in the mid-1990s. Chickenpox produces a series of small, itchy blisters that look like chickpeas (and give the disease its name), as well as fever and fatigue.
Infectious Diseases
Kids catch lots of infections that produce unpleasant symptoms, such as sore throat and cough (see above), as well
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