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Newsletter>
Chamomile for Kids
May 28, 2008
Dear Friends,
Let's get back to herbs, shall we? I have another favorite
to share with you this week and it is pretty common, one I
am sure you are familiar with... It is chamomile.
Chamomile is perfectly safe and gentle for babies,
children, and even pregnant mothers. I should point out
here that some people do have allergies to chamomile so if
you are an allergy sufferer, you might want to test out a
small dose before you make yourself a gallon of tea!
Chamomile actually means, "ground apple", because of it's
scent...which resembles apples. It has been used for
centuries as a medicinal herb, both Roman and German types.
It is most commonly used as a digestive aid or as a
nervine. Chamomile tea is wonderful to drink in the
evening to promote relaxation after a busy day! It is a
very important herb to have on hand when treating children.
A small amount of tea can work wonders on an upset tummy.
Chamomile is helpful when attempting to calm a nervous or
stressed out child. It can even be given to babies,
especially colicky young infants. Some mothers will
disagree with me here, but I suggest a bit of warm
chamomile tea in a bottle for babies who keep their mothers
up at night on a regular basis. Yes, breast is best, but
sometimes mom needs her rest and baby is not hungry, only
fussy. I once had a baby who liked to cry for no apparent
reason every night at around midnight. He wasn't hungry at
all. Nothing seemed to please him for an hour or so each
night, not even mom snuggling with him. I wish that I had
practiced herbology back then...I could have possibly saved
myself some sleepless nights! Chamomile is a lot like
catnip in many respects. It is another one of my
"must-have" herbs for children. It is also an
antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory.
Chamomile is a good nutritional source of calcium, fiber,
iron, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin, and an excellent
source of niacin. I like to blend it with oatstraw,
lemongrass, and lemon balm. It is best taken as a tea, in
my opinion, but you can also make a nice syrup or tincture
with it. It also makes a wonderful relaxing herbal bath!
I blend chamomile with calendula (pot marigold) and make
oil infusions to use in healing balms and salves, too.
Chamomile is wonderful for delicate skin!
Baby Bath
2 parts chamomile
2 parts calendula
1 part rose petals
1 part lavender
Mix herbs together and put a small amount in a muslin tea
bag. Steep in bath water.
Relaxing Tea
2 parts chamomile
1 part oatstraw
1 part lemon balm
1 part lemon grass
Sweeten this tea with honey, or for children under age one
you may add a tiny pinch of stevia or nothing at all.
You can get yourself some chamomile starts at a greehouse
and plant a few in your garden or even in a container.
Chamomile is quite easy to grow and both varieties have
medicinal properties.
Plant it with some lemon balm and you can grow your own tea
this summer!
Just a reminder...I have several of my remedies listed in
my Etsy shop now. You can purchase 1/2 ounce vials of my
tinctures and 4 ounce bags of my tea blends. With the
blends you can make your own tinctures or enjoy some
medicinal sun tea with some ice, sweetener, and a squeeze
of lemon! I also have some new goat milk lotion varieties,
too!
I hope that you are all very busy planting your gardens and
enjoying the beautiful weather wherever you are! If you
are in a part of the country that has been suffering storms
and fires, I pray that you are protected and that you
experience relief soon!
Blessings,
Jennifer Ferris
www.fromfieldsandgardens.com
www.farmsteadorganics.etsy.com
Jennifer@fromfieldsandgardens.com
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