“Gripe water” (“griping” is an ancient term for cramps) is called the “secret of British nannies”, because this European remedy traveled the globe with British colonists.It is widely available in Canada and Indian groceries.Simply dill tea in a bottle, it can be the secret to a good nights’ sleep for all in the house.A teaspoon will almost always calm colic within minutes.Of course, you can also make strong dill seed tea, cool and sweeten it, and give it to the child.Fennel seed, cumin seed, or cardamom seed also work well as a tea.Herbs will pass through breast milk, so the mother may also drink them.

Other effective remedies included chamomile as an herbal bath, and 15 drops of lavender oil in 1 tablespoon almond oil rubbed over the abdomen.

Diarrhea is common in childhood.Of course, the cause must be evaluated medically.An excellent remedy is carob powder, perhaps stirred into yogurt, about 1-2 Tablespoons per day.Alternatively, you can use blackberry root syrup or gruel made from slippery elm bark.

Loose stool may be caused by lack of proper large intestine bacteria (acidolphilus, etc.) which may be killed by antibiotic use.Acidolphilus powders, available in the refrigerator at the health food store, can restore the proper intestinal flora.

The treatment of diarrhea has been at the forefront of recent interest in natural healing.A recent study, reported in Pediatrics, states that homeopathy can effectively treat acute childhood diarrhea, the leading cause of death among young children in developing countries.The children, living in Mexico, received homeopathic medicine for diarrhea, and recovered 15-20% faster than those getting the placebo.

Julia was a two year old who stopped growing at age one, at which time she had also been given high doses of antibiotics for a lung infection.The lung infection cleared up, but Roo developed constant diarrhea - up to 20 liquid bowel movements per day.When her parents questioned their medical personnel, they were informed that there was no connection between the antibiotics and the diarrhea.Eventually, after a year of no growth, injections of growth hormone were suggested.No treatment was indicated for the chronic diarrhea, unless it worsened.

That was the final straw for the parents.They brought Roo to a nutritionist, who concluded immediately that the antibiotics had killed the beneficial bacteria in her colon, and suggested large doses of potent acidolphilus.The diarrhea immediately ceased, never to return, and Roo began to grow rapidly, eventually normalizing in size over a few months.

Other herbs for general digestive troubles include catnip, peppermint, chamomile, papaya, orange peel, and ginger.