Page 54 - Special Issue: Healthy Baby

REMEDIES The next herbal combination I give to most
There are other interventions that we can use that work with the pro- sick children is Andrographis Complex, a mixture
cesses I just described. The first is an anthroposophical medicine called of andrographis, echinacea angustifolia root, and
Erysidoron 1. This medicine which is made from the honeybee (Apis) and holy basil. (If they can’t swallow tablets, I use
the plant Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade) works with the four bodies plain echinacea liquid.) Andrographis Complex
that are involved with inflammation. The whole activity of the bees speaks is andrographis, otherwise known as “king of the
of its relationship to warmth and physical structure. It is said that the tem- bitters,” which helps activate a very important
perature in the center of a naturally made beehive is exactly 98.6 degrees, principle of natural medicine, namely to support
the same as the healthy human temperature. The hive, which encases this what the body is already doing. We help the
warmth, is made of perfect hexagonal crystals. It is as though the bees sweating along with warmth and herbs, and we
are saying to us, “We are the picture in nature of the perfect relationship encourage elimination with gentle laxatives. An-
to warmth encased in the perfect physical structure. You, my friend, are drographis enhances the normal exit strategy of
struggling to find this relationship. I will help you find the way.” the body for poisons, which is to conjugate (make
Belladonna is a plant that lives dark swampy undergrowth, and out of soluble) the poison in the liver and then excrete
this fluid realm it develops a poison that makes us wake up. It was given it through the bile. It is like bagging garbage and
the name belladonna because women used it to instill an extract of the taking it out to the curb. Bitter herbs help stim-
berries into their eyes to cause their pupils to dilate, which was considered ulate the flow of bile, thereby making it easier
a sign of beauty—hence bella (beautiful) donna (lady). The poison literally to eliminate the poisons and the bacteria that
wakes us up, opens our eyes, and makes our emotions and feelings more our white blood cells have digested. This is why
acute. Belladonna treats the emotional body struggling with the damp, fluid bitters are included in virtually every traditional
realm of the swamp to bring a resolution of all that swelling, mucus, pus herbal formula. All healing involves elimination
and other wateriness that is the hallmark of so many childhood illnesses. and andrographis is the king of this process. (It
This medicine is given in the dose of 5 to 10 drops every 2 hours in the is also very bitter!)
case of a fever and serves as our basic aid to guide the child through the Echinacea is an immune enhancer that helps
illness. our white blood cells recognize and move to the
Remember that the common thread in treating any inflammatory illness site of the infection. It should be used in virtually
is to help the child work off the infection. Just as in a compost pile or a all infections at any site.
pond that has had some garbage or pollution dumped into it, an infection is Holy basil is another adaptogenic herb—that
nature’s way of digesting unwanted debris. If you put the wrong stuff in a is, an herb that helps us adapt to stress, including
compost pile, it will get an “infection” as the new, probably more powerful the stress of an illness. Adaptogenic herbs work
bacteria try to digest this unwanted stuff. Similarly, a polluted pond will by increasing cortisol production, which has a
produce algae to digest the pollution. We call the algae an “infection,” but mild anti-inflammatory effect, thereby keeping
it is really a kind of digestive process. In the child with a fever, the white the inflammation from getting too intense.
blood cells do the internal digestion, helped along with the fever. Our task The dose of Andrographis Complex is 1-2
is mainly to keep the elimination channels—sweat glands, kidneys and tablets every 2 to 4 hours depending on the
the bowel—open to allow the body to remove digested debris efficiently. intensity of the illness. For those children who
When this goes wrong, the child becomes “congested” and ends up with can’t swallow tablets it can be dissolved first in
more serious infections, even pneumonia. hot water and then disguised by honey or apple
We can help prevent an “infection” getting out of hand by increasing sauce. If this doesn’t work, use plain echinacea
elimination. The first step is to increase the sweating, a major avenue our possibly mixed with licorice root to sweeten it.
bodies use in eliminating any debris. In former times, sweating herbs such as My experience with treating children with
peppermint, yarrow and elder flower teas were given to all sick children as nasty-tasting medicine is that when they need
these diaphoretic (sweat-inducing) herbs help the child to “sweat it out.” We it, they will take it as long as the parents are
all know that many illnesses are gone the morning after a good sweat. These convinced it is right. When they get better, they
herbs should be given in hot water as the warmth further encourages the refuse to take any more, as if to say, “Now I don’t
sweating process. We also know that the elder flower has its own anti-viral, need the help, I’m OK on my own.” That is when
immuno-stimulating effect, while yarrow helps the liver detoxify poisons, I stop the medicine.
and peppermint soothes the GI tract. These herbs and other diaphoretics The other medicine I routinely give to sick
are found in the formulation called Diaco by Mediherb, which is given at children is Congaplex from Standard Process.
the dose of 1/8 to 1 teaspoon every 2-4 hours to encourage sweating. This preparation is a mixture of natural, whole-

52 Wise Traditions