Gentle Healing for Baby and Child

A Parent's Guide to Child-Friendly Herbs and Other

Andrea Candee, David Andrusia

• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780743497251
• eBook ISBN: 9781439194843
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Alternative & Complementary Medicine

Give your child the gift of natural health

When your children are sick or injured, you want them to feel better -- fast. Although in some cases there is no substitute for traditional medical care, prescription drugs are not always the best answer. Countless parents are discovering that natural, health-promoting substances can often be both safer and more effective. Now, a master herbalist with more than twenty-five years of experience who is also a mother of two shares her natural approach to wellness. Inside you'll find easy holistic therapies for common childhood injuries and ailments, and learn:

• how a banana can remove a splinter
  
• which herbs help reduce fever
  
• how an onion helps both bruises and earaches
  
• why garlic is nature's antibiotic
  
• how a spritz of rosemary hair juice prevents lice
  
• why peppermint tea relieves both headaches and stomachaches
  
• how gargling with lemon juice and table salt can ease a sore throat
  
• why ginger root can ease motion sickness
  
• and many other intelligent uses of foods and therapeutic plants -- nature's own medicine -- to alleviate discomforts.
  

Best of all, this invaluable reference stresses and approach that helps you teach you children the benefits of proventing illness -- not just treating it.

1

A Word from the Author

Today, according to the esteemed Journal of the American Medical Association, a full 42% of Americans have used natural healing therapies. To me, this is extremely good news because this was not always the case!

Although it was nearly 20 years ago, I vividly recall the afternoon I nervously gave my first talk on herbs to the local PTA. Even though I was among friends in a progressive community, I had no idea how they would react to my unconventional presentation on the healing power of herbs for children.

This was long before the popularity of Dr. Andrew Weil, organic foods, and the acknowledgment of the mind/body healing connection by the medical establishment. Keep in mind that until recently, “alternative” meant odd, and in many places in this country sprinkling sprouts on a salad was considered absolutely anti-establishment!

I was a mother of two sons and played an active role in the life of my town, so I felt people were willing to listen to what I had to say. My audience turned out to be receptive (albeit cautious) and I was encouraged to move forward with what was to become my life’s work: sharing my knowledge of the healing power of herbs—at first with family and friends, then with clients—and now, with you. Though I was devoted to my subject, I could hardly have known, as I gave that brief speech, that two decades later I would be writing a book on natural healing. But spreading the word about healing herbs is, after all, the most rewarding aspect of my work. I believe, as do many parents, that in addition to a repertoire of remedies that helps the body heal itself, the natural approach to wellness helps engage our young to be involved in their own health care, offering a level of understanding that will stay with them for their entire lives. They learn that taking care of their bodies preventatively is every bit as important as consulting a doctor when they are sick.

America’s surge in interest for natural therapies to complement, and sometimes even replace, conventional medical treatment has been reflected in, as well as driven by, mainstream media. As a result, educational opportunities in the field of holistic health care have blossomed. Even our most respected medical schools are adding studies in natural therapies to their curricula. Think back to the 1970s, when massage was noted for its sexual connotations. Now it’s a reimbursable medical expense under many health-care plans. I could not have imagined twenty years ago that The New York Times would have run a piece on “alternative medicine” and was delighted when they wrote about me and herbal remedies.

In the sixties and seventies, my father’s losing battle with heart disease fostered my interest in alternative healing options. I have always believed in the adage “Seek and ye shall find,” and that’s precisely what I did. I was surprised to discover that natural healing therapies never went out of style in Europe and, in fact, that they have long been the primary modality of healing throughout much of the world. According to the World Health Organization, over 80% of the world uses herbs for healing!

My undergraduate work focused on speech pathology for children. Throughout the years, as an early childhood teacher, and mother of two sons, I continued to be actively involved with children. Positive feedback is great for building one’s confidence, so after years of informally sharing my herbal remedies with friends and family, I followed my heart’s desire and formalized my studies in herbology. Four years of study, in addition to field work and apprenticeships helped me to attain the level of Master Herbalist. I was privileged to be mentored in the work of the late Dr. John R. Christopher, one of the most respected authors and practitioners of natural health care in this country. Dr. Christopher lovingly shared his botanical formulas with the world, and, in the spirit of carrying on his tradition, I gladly share them with you in the chapters to follow.

I maintain a private practice for those people requiring a deeper level of assistance but continue to lecture nationwide, helping others to help themselves naturally. Gentle Healing for Baby and Child evolved in response to innumerable requests for a simple, straightforward guide for parents. Books on herbs are plentiful, but my research reveals that very few offer an easy, gentle approach for children. (Do consider using many of these therapies on yourselves. After all, what’s good for little bodies also works on bigger bodies—it’s just not always so in reverse.) As parents, we are especially cautious about how we treat our youngsters. A guideline for peace of mind is Andrea’s Rule of Three:

   Three days: If you are dealing with an acute situation, expect it to be turned around within three days or seek medical help.

   Three weeks: For a gentle program of internal cleansing of organs, allow three weeks.

   Three months: To reverse a long-standing, chronic condition, create a three-month focus of healing therapies and lifestyle changes for your child.

All of the remedies presented here are perfectly safe, and are the result of years of experience with clients and, of course, my own sons, Chris and Brian. Best of all, incorporating these remedies into your children’s lifestyles will teach them how important it is to be in charge of their own health, and the gift of health is, indeed, one of the greatest blessings of all.

As a Master Herbalist, I consider it an honor to be able to share over 25 years of experience with you, and to gently introduce you to the healing power of herbs. May this book be the cornerstone of your children’s excellent health and wellness now, and for the rest of their lives.

Andrea Candee

South Salem, New York

2

A Brief History of Herbs

From the earliest of times, herbs have been hailed for their healing properties by civilizations in every corner of the globe. Today, approximately 25% of our doctor-prescribed medicines are based on one or more herbal ingredients, and many over-the-counter preparations contain botanicals as well.

There is strong evidence to support the fact that ancient cultures revered the curative powers of healing plants, and did so long before the development of the written word. The earliest proof may well be in the excavation of a 60,000-year-old burial site in Iraq that contained eight different medicinal plants.

Archaeologists and antiquities scholars have long known of the medicinal use of herbs from as early as 3,000 BC in Egypt, the Middle East, and China. Written evidence dates from around 1,500 BC in the form of Egyptian papyrus, which lists dozens of medicinal plants and their uses. Myrrh, castor oil, and garlic are all described, and their properties prized.

Written at about the same time, the Indian epic poems called Vedas contain substantial references to the herbal knowledge of that era. Around 700 BC, the Indian physician Charaka wrote a document called Charaka Samhita, which details the properties of over 300 herbal medicines, some of which are still in use today.

By the 2nd century AD, global trade routes had come into existence. It was the resultant cultural exchanges that allowed herbal traditions to be circulated among civilizations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Cloves are the perfect example. Native to the Philippines and South Pacific islands, cloves were imported to China which, in turn, introduced these herbs to Egypt. By the 8th century AD, their antiseptic and analgesic properties were known throughout the European continent.

As the value of herbs grew, many writers and botanists tried to catalog plants and to record their medicinal properties. Chief among these works is the Chinese Divine Husbandman’s Classic (Shen’ong Bencaojing), dating from the 1st century AD, and including 250 herbal medicines. Though sophisticated for its time, this text was just a harbinger of the intricate Chinese herbal therapies that developed over the ages—and which, of course, form the basis of Chinese medicine today.

Interestingly, a similar document was written at the same time by a Greek physician called Dioscorides. His De Materia Medica, listing 600 herbs, is generally regarded as the first authoritative European herbal text; it remained the pre-eminent book of its kind until the 17th century, and was translated into various languages of the world.

While the Middle Ages seemed like the Dark Ages in many ways, this was much less the case when it came to herbs. Indeed, historians have shown that Europeans of this time had a fairly sophisticated knowledge of plant medicine. Excavations of an 11th century monastic hospital in Scotland show that the monks were using exotic herbs, including opium poppy and marijuana for their pain-killing properties. (No, dear readers, I am not recommending their use for your children!) Similarly, herbal practitioners in the south Wales village of Myddfai, wrote texts that show a strong knowledge of the healing powers of plants.

Non-European cultures also recognized the medicinal properties of herbs. The Ayurvedic tradition of India (whose Golden Age occurred in the 7th century) was studied at universities, and medicinal herb gardens were popular throughout the country. At the same time, the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas all had extensive herbal traditions. Their use of sarsaparilla as a blood cleanser and skin healer indicates their understanding of herbs as medicinals.

Ironically, it was French mathematician René Descartes’ notion of rationalism that squelched the herbal tradition in Europe in the early 17th century. While the Chinese and Indian cultures long accepted (and respected) the healing power of nature, the rationalist movement divided the world into distinct categories of body, mind, nature, and ideas. The orientation toward natural healing that had been long revered in Europe was suddenly seen as backward—despite the fact that French and English explorers in the New World continued to use herbal therapies and expanded their knowledge through their interactions with Indians indigenous to South America.

Nicholas Culpepper, a 17th-century English pharmacist, helped gain respect for botanical medicine during a time when British physicians were becoming contemptuous of natural medicine. His published herbals (essays on the uses of herbs) encouraged readers to use nature’s pharmacy, herbs growing in their own backyards, to heal themselves. In so doing, they validated a long-standing tradition of English families. Today, many of Culpepper’s recommendations are still in use.

The rationalist movement had taken such strong hold in Europe that, by 1858, the practice of medicine was banned by anyone who had not attended a conventional medical school. Fortunately, similar legislation was banned in France, Spain, and Italy; but in Britain, herbalists who continued to practice risked fines, imprisonment, or both. This ban actually led to the establishment of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists in 1864; it is to these steadfast souls that we owe a debt for having kept the herbal tradition alive.

Throughout the 20th century, herbal traditions continued quietly in Western Europe. However, they met their decline in the U.S. and Canada as breakthroughs in medical science were newly embraced. What helped turn the tide; why have so many North Americans rediscovered the holistic healing benefits of herbs and other natural therapies?

While advances in modern medicine have been brilliant, it is also true that more people today suffer from chronic illness and general disease than ever before. Medicine is terrific at treating acute ailments, but rather less successful at preventative health care and long-term wellness.

This is why the works of holistically oriented physicians like Drs. Andrew Weil and Dean Ornish have been widely embraced by the mainstream media and public. In response, Harvard and other top medical schools are now incorporating natural-healing techniques into their curricula, along with anatomy, pathology, and other conventional medical courses.

In the 1960s and ’70s, the term “holistic medicine” indicated an emphasis on natural therapies for treating the entire body as a whole rather than just a body part. In the ’80s, “complementary medicine” became the term of choice until the 1990s, when Dr. Weil coined the phrase “integrated medicine.” We do not want to toss the baby with the bathwater, but instead take the best therapies from holistic and conventional medical practice from around the world and integrate them into a medical approach that can be flexible and life-enhancing. I am encouraged that the integrated approach will play a major role in the medical movement of the 21st century and in the future of our children’s system of health care.

3

Dosing Guidelines

HOW TO DOSE YOUR CHILD

Since children at any given age can vary greatly in size and weight, I prefer to use weight rather than age as the most important factor in dos...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• Foreword
• 1 A Word from the Author
• 2 A Brief History of Herbs
• 3 Dosing Guidelines
• 4 Herbs to the Rescue!
• 5 The Upper Respiratory System
• 6 The Lower Respiratory System
• 7 Skin-Loving Herbs
• 8 The Gastrointestinal System
• 9 Baby’s Comfort
• 10 Herbal Programs for the Teen Years
• 11 Calming the Jitters
• 12 Immune System Enhancers
• Appendix A: Applications
• Appendix B: Characteristics of Herbs
• Appendix C: Food Testing
• Appendix D: Understanding Toxicity and How It Affects Your Child
• Appendix E: Healing Imagery
• Appendix F: Cell Salts
• Appendix G: Resource Guide
• Appendix H: Product Ingredients
• Appendix I: Bach Flower Essences and Rescue Remedy
• Appendix J: Herbs and Their Latin Names
• Bibliography
• Index
• Footnote