Think of an ailment someone in your family is likely to suffer from at any time - headache, toothache, cuts, bruises, menstrual pain, whatever - then google "herbal treatments headache". You'll get about a million hits.

So what is the difference between a herbal medicine and a conventional medicine? Not a lot! One is as safe or as risky as the other. Aspirin, for example, is just a synthesised copy of a herbal substance - chemically identical - called salicylate, which can be found in numerous plants, most notably white willow bark and meadowsweet. IMO, if you don't like giving aspirin to babies, then you won't like giving either of those herbs either. They're pretty much the same thing, except that one comes in a convenient tablet form and the other probably is in another form, such as a liquid tea.

I don't as a rule advocate giving herbal medicines to children except on the advice and under the supervision of an expert. This is because, as with conventional medicines, children's immature bodies do not always react to medications in the same ways as adults. Some herbs, like chamomile, are considered USUALLY safe for children, but there's always the child who is allergic to it.

Here is a link that might be useful: thread about medicinal herbs

Perhaps you should look at a book on childhood aliments and talk to your child's health care provider,first. It appears that you need more basic child health information.

Most do not recommend asprin for babies and most children. Giving an asprin for just a cough will not do anything for the cough. If the child has a fever it may help but can also cause problems.

I am aware that it appears that I am putting down your idea to use herbal medicene for a child but with out a basic understanding of cause and effect of childhood aliments you could be harming even killing your child giving them the wrong stuff.

To add to what's already been said, the list of herbs that I've seen that are generally considered "kid safe" is rather short. They tend to be the herbs with mild actions.

In my own household I follow Hipocrates advice for health - "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." I use whole, fresh and often home-grown or organic foods to cook from scratch about 80% of the time. I control the levels of salt, sugar, fats, and processed food chemicals that way. Meals always include fruits and/or vegetables which have all sorts of beneficial herbal qualities. I also use well-known "germ-fighters" like onions and garlic or other spices in foods when I think a cold is trying to take the house. Many food plants are herbs in their own right and you can very happily eat to your health.

I make sure young ones get the sleep the need. I can't tell you how important that is for staying healthy or beating a cold!

I keep common germ vectors clean or keep one to a person if someone is sick or could be sick. Plus teach and enforce good hygiene in the home and out and about. I'm not a germ-freaky but strongly suggest you carry hand-sanitizer to use and have your kids use when you've been in public places before eating, touching mouth/nose/eyes, and when you return home.

While herbs can be effective in staying healthy, they can do very little if you are not making life-style changes to support their health benefits.

FataMorgana