Natural Remedies for Childhood Ailments

When you realise just how toxic some prescribed and over-the-counter medications can be, it is a good idea, if possible, to use natural products to achieve the same effect in the case of most minor childhood ailments. Many children's medicines, unfortunately, contain artificial colorants, flavours and preservatives, which can certainly affect a child prone to allergies. If, of course, a child has a serious infection or fever, then only medicines prescribed by a doctor should be used. After such a course of treatment, you can then use natural products to help your child's system recover from the effects of prescribed medication.

Coughs and Colds

There is nothing better than honey and warm diluted lemon juice for sore throats and colds. If drunk just before bedtime it will soothe the bronchial passages and give a shot of vitamin C to the system. The proportions should be one teaspoon of honey, one teaspoon of pure lemon juice and two inches of hot water. Mix it up so that the honey dissolves and allow to cool to a suitable drinking temperature.

Homemade onion syrup is the best remedy for catarrh and chesty coughs. Slice a peeled onion into thin slices. Lay some slices in the bottom of a bowl and drizzle some organic honey (or better still Manuka honey) over the slices, then repeat the procedure until you have used up all the onion slices. Cover the bowl and leave it at room temperature, preferably overnight. The resulting liquid can be strained off and bottled. Give one teaspoon three times a day. The taste is not unpleasant but you might want to have a sweet handy, in case your child dislikes it! Do not give more than the suggested dose, or you might find it causes diarrhoea. Keep the syrup in the refrigerator and make some fresh every three days. With a week you should see a difference in your child's degree of catarrh.

Steam inhalation is the best way of preventing a cold from congesting the lungs. You can buy steam inhalers from the pharmacy. They are cup-like containers with a mouth and nosepiece attached to the top. You put the hot water in the bottom and close it. Add a small drop of wintergreen, Olbas oil or similar to the water if you wish. The child then holds the inhaler by the handles and puts their nose and mouth into the top to breathe in the warm steam. You can do this the old-fashioned way by filling a bowl with hot water and covering the child's head and the bowl with a towel but this would not be recommended with a small child, in case the bowl tipped over and scalded them. An older child or teenager should be able to cope though.
Vitamin C and zinc lozenges or Echinacea lozenges are good to suck when the throat is sore and a cold is just beginning.

Bumps, Cuts and Grazes

Arnica cream (from pharmacies and health food shops) is wonderful for bringing out bruises and making them less painful. Apply as directed on the tube. Arnica capsules can also be taken internally for deep bruising and trauma, such as preparation for an operation or where a child is recovering from broken bones.

For grazes and cuts, there is nothing better than Manuka honey. It is so successful at healing wounds and keeping them from becoming infected that it is now being used by hospitals in many countries on persistent leg ulcers. In fact, is had been proved that it is the only substance that will actually heal leg ulcers in the elderly. Apply it to a plaster, as you would an antiseptic cream, and place it over the wound. For larger wounds, smear the honey on a dressing and then fix it to the skin.

Rashes and Acne

Manuka honey again is a wonderful healer of bad teenage acne and far, far better than using chemically-loaded creams or taking some of the very dangerous acne drugs that can cause severe depression. Eating a large spoonful of the honey each day, will also help to clear acne from inside the system as well as applying it topically. When the honey is spread on the spots, it does actually dry in the air and stop being sticky but, in the case of severe facial acne, you may want to put liberal amounts on your teenager before bed, to be washed off the next day. An aloe Vera and tea tree gel should be used for daytime.

Spots and rashes that arise from a childhood dose of chickenpox or from an allergy, plus eczema and sunburn, can all benefit from an oatmeal bath and aloe Vera gel. Cut a square of muslin, fine net curtaining or chiffon and place a large handful of oats in the centre. Tie it up into a loose bundle and place it under the running water of the bath. This will soften the water and there is an ingredient in oats, which actually softens and moisturises the skin. Don't use soap or any bath additives. Buy some emulsifying cream from the pharmacist (this is used by people with eczema and psoriasis in place of soap). After drying your child, liberally applying a pure aloe Vera gel. If any of the rash or spots are broken or look infected then use an aloe Vera and tea tree combination gel (don't attempt to make your own - they sell it already made up in most health food shops). It may sting a little at first but that shows that the tea tree is doing its work.

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