Grandma’s Herbal Remedies For Infants And Children   Nicole Bandes

Once upon a time, we would turn to our parents or grandparents when something was wrong with our little ones. More often than not, now we turn to our physicians. Unfortunately, they were never taught what our grandmothers learned from their mothers, methods that have been tried and true for centuries. Here is a not-so-complete list of some of my favorites passed down from my Grandma.

ADD – Grandma did not call it this back then, but that is probably what it was. Aside from some good discipline, Grandma made sure her kids ate lots of fish to improve brain function and behavior. She knew that feeding us fish was a wonderful way to boost the brain cells. Another way to get EFA's into your kids is to mix liquid Flax Seed Oil with real butter to make a spread. Use this on toast or pancakes and waffles in the morning and on potatoes or vegetables at dinner.

Asthma – Apply lobelia (either liquid or mixed with a carrier like aloe vera or massage oil) to the chest and simply rub in.

Bed Wetting – “Do not give those kids sweets before bedtime!” Grandma would always say. She believed bed wetting was caused by too much sugar around bedtime. I know now that this relates to blood sugar spikes and may have some basis in fact. Grandma would also use Goldenseal for a week or so to clear up any potential kidney infections.

Bites and Stings – Grandma would make a paste with black cohosh and aloe vera and apply to the area. It always helped to take out the sting.

Chicken Pox – If we came down with this, Grandma would insist on getting us into a warm bath to help cause the pox to break out and speed up the recovery time. Pau D’ Arco applied externally may aid with the discomfort and cause faster healing.


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