Children's Composition
http://www.raisingchildrennaturally.com/articles/65/1/Childrens-Composition/Page1.html
Steven Horne
Steven Horne is professional member and recent past president of the American Herbalists Guild (AHG) and a professional member of the International Iridology Practitioner’s Association (IIPA). He has also served on the board of directors of both organizations.
An herbalist, natural health teacher, author, and consultant, Steven is the father of 5 children who have been raised on natural remedies. You can learn more about him at http://www.steven-horne.com. By Steven Horne
Published on October 16, 2008
When my own children were very young I discovered (or rather rediscovered) a valuable formula for treating colds, flu, fevers, sore throats and other acute ailments in children. I dubbed it Children's Composition. It has been a valuable tool for overcoming illness in my own family and in the families of many other people. This article explains the formula and there is an attached handout you can download and print out.
In the mid 80s, I discovered a wonderful children’s remedy for activating the energy of the body for healing. I named it Children's Composition after the Composition formula developed by herbalist, Samuel Thomson, which he used in nearly all acute ailments. Thomson's Composition contains bayberry rootbark, white pine bark, ginger, cloves and cayenne pepper or capsicum. Thus, it has some astringent effect, to tone tissues and arrest discharges, and some aromatic effect, to stimulate healing. This formula works best when taken as a tea. I have found it beneficial for colds, flu, congestion, stomach problems, fevers and diarrhea. It is too spicy for children, though, because of the “hot” aromatics it contains.
The Children’s Composition formula I discovered has essentially the same uses, but is milder and more pleasant tasting. It contains yarrow, elder flower and peppermint. While gathering wild herbs one summer, I found these three herbs and decided they would make a good fever remedy. Mixing them in equal parts I extracted them using a process I describe in my Herbal Preparations and Applications course—the sealed simmer method. My wife and I were so pleased with the results, that I made a special trip to the mountains each summer to gather these herbs and make another batch.
The great herbalist, Edward Shook says the following about the combination of elder flowers and peppermint in his Advanced Treatise in Herbology :
Most of the time, when our children are sick, we give them some of this formula. It helps promote perspiration, open the bowels, reduce inflammation, settle the stomach and calm the child. Our usual dose is about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoonful, although I will let them have more if they want it. If the formula tastes good to them it is a sign that the body wants more. We give them the formula at least two times a day, but often we have given the child some at hourly intervals during an acute situation. We have even given this (and other formulas) as often as every 15 minutes until the illness begins to subside.
When our children have been congested I’ve added a little elderberry glycerite to the formula. Both elder flowers and elderberries contain substances which ease inflammation and pain. Elderberries soothe the intestines and have been used for all inflammatory bowel diseases. They have a very gentle laxative action, which may explain their decongestant properties. They also have a mild tonic action to help arrest diarrhea. Many other herbalists besides myself have observed a strong connection between bowel problems and respiratory congestion. There also appears to be a strong connection between bowel obstructions and fevers in children. So, the addition of the elderberries makes the formula even better.
The Children’s Composition formula I discovered has essentially the same uses, but is milder and more pleasant tasting. It contains yarrow, elder flower and peppermint. While gathering wild herbs one summer, I found these three herbs and decided they would make a good fever remedy. Mixing them in equal parts I extracted them using a process I describe in my Herbal Preparations and Applications course—the sealed simmer method. My wife and I were so pleased with the results, that I made a special trip to the mountains each summer to gather these herbs and make another batch.
The great herbalist, Edward Shook says the following about the combination of elder flowers and peppermint in his Advanced Treatise in Herbology :
In the Utah mountains, yarrow blooms about the same time as the elder flowers. Yarrow was the first medicinal herb I learned to identify and use. It also has been used to help fevers and colds. The plant contains a volatile oil, similar in composition to chamomile oil, which has been medically documented to be a very effective, anti-inflammatory agent. By itself, yarrow tastes bitter, but the addition of peppermint masks this disagreeable flavor."For the treatment of colds, influenza, and fevers of all kinds, there is no remedy known to man that is so safe, sure and speedy as elder flowers, an all-around alterative, blood purifier, and general systemic cleanser. They are without a superior.
"Because elder flowers are emetic and somewhat nauseating to some people, the ideal synergist to blend with them in the treatment of colds, fevers, and so forth is peppermint (Mentha piperita). Peppermint is stimulant, nervine, calmative, and antiemetic, and the combination is world- famed as the greatest fever remedy ever known to man.
"Considering that right after the last World War, upwards of six million people died of influenza and that millions have died since, is it not a very great privilege and blessing to be in possession of a knowledge of such a remedy?
"The great herbalist, Henry Box of Plymouth, England says, “For colds, influenza, fevers, inflammation of the brain, pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs), stomach, bowels or any part, this is a certain cure, I have never known it to fail, even when given up and at the point of death. It will not only save at the eleventh hour, but at the last minute of that hour. It is so harmless that you cannot use it amiss, and so effectual that you cannot give it in vain".
Most of the time, when our children are sick, we give them some of this formula. It helps promote perspiration, open the bowels, reduce inflammation, settle the stomach and calm the child. Our usual dose is about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoonful, although I will let them have more if they want it. If the formula tastes good to them it is a sign that the body wants more. We give them the formula at least two times a day, but often we have given the child some at hourly intervals during an acute situation. We have even given this (and other formulas) as often as every 15 minutes until the illness begins to subside.
When our children have been congested I’ve added a little elderberry glycerite to the formula. Both elder flowers and elderberries contain substances which ease inflammation and pain. Elderberries soothe the intestines and have been used for all inflammatory bowel diseases. They have a very gentle laxative action, which may explain their decongestant properties. They also have a mild tonic action to help arrest diarrhea. Many other herbalists besides myself have observed a strong connection between bowel problems and respiratory congestion. There also appears to be a strong connection between bowel obstructions and fevers in children. So, the addition of the elderberries makes the formula even better.
Success Stories
Let me share with you a couple of
stories that will demonstrate just how effective the Children’s
Composition formula has been. These stories also demonstrate the
principle of the healing crisis.
Many years ago, I was teaching a class in the midwest and stayed at the home of a young couple with a five-year old daughter. The daughter was sick when I arrived. She was pale, lethargic and running a low-grade fever. The mother had tried to give her a goldenseal and echinacea tincture earlier and the child had not liked the taste and refused the herbs. She asked me what she could do. I told her that I usually gave children with a fever an enema, but she said that she couldn’t do that, and her husband would be against such a thing.
I had a sample of Children’s Composition with me. It was just the basic yarrow, elderflower and peppermint version. I suggested the mother give some to the child.
The child refused to even taste the Children’s Composition, so I suggested the mother try some first. The mother liked the taste of the formula and this helped convince the child to try it. She took some, then asked for some more. I encouraged the mother to let her have more. The child then said she wanted the bottle. “Go ahead and let her have it,” I suggested.
For the next fifteen minutes or so, I watched this child repeatedly squirt some of this formula into her mouth every few minutes. Her lethargy disappeared. Her color improved, too. In short, her energy levels were gradually returning.
Then she went into the kitchen and told her mother, “My tummy hurts,” and proceeded to throw up on the kitchen floor.
“I guess we let her have too much,” the mother told me.
“We let her have just the right amount,” I replied. “You watch, she’s going to feel much better now.” And, she did. From that point on, the child didn’t act sick anymore. I was there for two more days and there was no sign of a relapse.
A couple of years later my entire family was visiting a home in California on a lecture tour I was making. One of my children had taken sick and I was letting the child self-dose with the Children’s Composition formula. The lady of house inquired about what I was doing, and I told her the story I just related above. I don’t know if it was the power of suggestion or not, but just two minutes later my child threw up on her kitchen floor and immediately showed major signs of improvement.
Don’t be alarmed, this doesn’t happen very often with this formula. Most of the time, the irritants are discharged in other ways—sweating, improved bowel elimination, or urination.
I’ve never worried about dosing this stuff because it is so extremely safe and my observation is that children will only take as much as the need. For instance, on another occasion my youngest daughter had a slight cold. She was only two, but managed to climb onto the kitchen counter and get into the herb cupboard. She got a bottle of the Children’s Composition and drank half of it (a full ounce) before she was discovered. I was not alarmed in the slightest as one would be if we were dealing with any drug medication. In fact, I was amused and delighted to see that she knew exactly what her body needed.
By the way, I discovered that “my” favorite children’s formula was an old-time pioneer remedy. A lady came into our herb shop and told me that her great-great-grandfather had been an herbalist who had helped attend to Brigham Young’s family. She said that his journal records one of Brigham Young’s favorite herbal formulas for treating his children. Guess what! It was composed of yarrow, elder and peppermint. Considering that Brigham Young once stated that he had not had the necessity of calling upon a doctor more than a couple of times in over twenty years, the remedy must have worked well for him.
Furthermore, while I was researching to write this book, I found an article in the June 1990 issue of Vegetarian Times about the elder. It gave a recipe for a fever-reducing tea: equal parts elder flowers, yarrow and peppermint. The author, Kathi Keville, calls this “a classic herbal remedy to reduce fever." She says the Iroquois Indians also used elderberries for fevers because they increased sweating and acted as a gentle laxative. And I thought I’d made a great discovery! I guess I only made a REdiscovery of a wonderful traditional remedy.
Attached to this article is a handout on Children's Composition I developed for people who are selling commercial versions of the product. Feel free to download it, copy it and distribute it freely as long as you don't alter it except to put your name and contact information in the "Distributed by:" box.
Many years ago, I was teaching a class in the midwest and stayed at the home of a young couple with a five-year old daughter. The daughter was sick when I arrived. She was pale, lethargic and running a low-grade fever. The mother had tried to give her a goldenseal and echinacea tincture earlier and the child had not liked the taste and refused the herbs. She asked me what she could do. I told her that I usually gave children with a fever an enema, but she said that she couldn’t do that, and her husband would be against such a thing.
I had a sample of Children’s Composition with me. It was just the basic yarrow, elderflower and peppermint version. I suggested the mother give some to the child.
The child refused to even taste the Children’s Composition, so I suggested the mother try some first. The mother liked the taste of the formula and this helped convince the child to try it. She took some, then asked for some more. I encouraged the mother to let her have more. The child then said she wanted the bottle. “Go ahead and let her have it,” I suggested.
For the next fifteen minutes or so, I watched this child repeatedly squirt some of this formula into her mouth every few minutes. Her lethargy disappeared. Her color improved, too. In short, her energy levels were gradually returning.
Then she went into the kitchen and told her mother, “My tummy hurts,” and proceeded to throw up on the kitchen floor.
“I guess we let her have too much,” the mother told me.
“We let her have just the right amount,” I replied. “You watch, she’s going to feel much better now.” And, she did. From that point on, the child didn’t act sick anymore. I was there for two more days and there was no sign of a relapse.
A couple of years later my entire family was visiting a home in California on a lecture tour I was making. One of my children had taken sick and I was letting the child self-dose with the Children’s Composition formula. The lady of house inquired about what I was doing, and I told her the story I just related above. I don’t know if it was the power of suggestion or not, but just two minutes later my child threw up on her kitchen floor and immediately showed major signs of improvement.
Don’t be alarmed, this doesn’t happen very often with this formula. Most of the time, the irritants are discharged in other ways—sweating, improved bowel elimination, or urination.
I’ve never worried about dosing this stuff because it is so extremely safe and my observation is that children will only take as much as the need. For instance, on another occasion my youngest daughter had a slight cold. She was only two, but managed to climb onto the kitchen counter and get into the herb cupboard. She got a bottle of the Children’s Composition and drank half of it (a full ounce) before she was discovered. I was not alarmed in the slightest as one would be if we were dealing with any drug medication. In fact, I was amused and delighted to see that she knew exactly what her body needed.
By the way, I discovered that “my” favorite children’s formula was an old-time pioneer remedy. A lady came into our herb shop and told me that her great-great-grandfather had been an herbalist who had helped attend to Brigham Young’s family. She said that his journal records one of Brigham Young’s favorite herbal formulas for treating his children. Guess what! It was composed of yarrow, elder and peppermint. Considering that Brigham Young once stated that he had not had the necessity of calling upon a doctor more than a couple of times in over twenty years, the remedy must have worked well for him.
Furthermore, while I was researching to write this book, I found an article in the June 1990 issue of Vegetarian Times about the elder. It gave a recipe for a fever-reducing tea: equal parts elder flowers, yarrow and peppermint. The author, Kathi Keville, calls this “a classic herbal remedy to reduce fever." She says the Iroquois Indians also used elderberries for fevers because they increased sweating and acted as a gentle laxative. And I thought I’d made a great discovery! I guess I only made a REdiscovery of a wonderful traditional remedy.
Attached to this article is a handout on Children's Composition I developed for people who are selling commercial versions of the product. Feel free to download it, copy it and distribute it freely as long as you don't alter it except to put your name and contact information in the "Distributed by:" box.