I am sure everyone is wondering why i am suddenly "Team Herbs" judging from my earlier posts which suggest that I am firmly against the use of herbs In the management of child health.

I still am but that doesnt negate the fact that herbs has its uses. For instance, do you know that the current drugs used to treat severe malaria were originally gotten from herbs e.g. Quinine was gotten from the cinchona tree and artemisinin products derived from the sweet wormwood tree.

In truth, there are over a hundred chemicals used in drugs today all derived from plants: Drugs for asthma, heart failure, hypertension, tumors etc. So, without a doubt, herbs are good. Going back in time, I once had a lecturer who firmly believed that God in his wisdom supplies man with plants based on his health needs. In other words, if an area is filled with a population that is riddled with cancer, then the plants and shrubs growing there must have at least one that can address cancer. I guess time will prove whether his theory is right or not.


Now, the downside of herbs are quite clear. In addition to the active ingredient seen in herbs that fights infection , there are also other chemicals in it that might cause great harm to the body. This is not so in manufactured drugs because in these drugs, only the active ingredients are extracted discarding the harmful parts. Giving your child raw unprocessed herbal medications can expose them to great danger.

Moreso, in children, the organs in the body that help excrete these harmful chemicals like the kidneys and liver are still so immature that they fail to do this duty efficiently. This leads to these toxins accumulating in the body and causing harm.

Most parents are aware that almost every drug have side effects most especially when it is given in excess. And how can we tell what amount is excess for anyone? Well, this is determined from years of extensive studies of these drugs both on animal and human subjects to know which exact amount are safe for humans.

Make no mistakes about this, HERBS ARE DRUGS. For our parents that are inclined in giving herbal medications to their children, pray how can you tell which herb is toxic and what amount is proper for a child's body size and age when noone has bothered to study this. Please, let us all kick against this dangerous practise and exercise caution when giving herbal remedies to our kids. It is simply not safe.a

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