Is it good for children to take Chinese medicine?

Many parents believe that Western medicines such as antibiotics are bad for children’s health, so they often prepare Chinese medicine for their children to take. Traditional Chinese medicine gives people the illusion that it has no side effects, but in fact it does have a certain degree of toxicity. Moreover, the drugs need to be detoxified by the liver and then excreted through the kidneys. The child's body is still in a developmental stage, his organs are relatively fragile, and his detoxification ability is relatively poor. Therefore, when giving Chinese medicine to children, try to use as little medicine as possible and do not take it frequently, as this will cause damage to the liver and kidneys.

1. "Concentrated decoction" is very important. Children should mainly take "concentrated decoction" of Chinese medicine. It should be noted that "concentrated decoction" does not mean "long decoction", because long decoction may cause some Chinese medicines to become ineffective or increase side effects. For example, most Chinese medicines used for children's colds are antipyretic drugs, which have a fragrant smell and are easy to evaporate. If they are boiled for a long time, they will easily lose their antipyretic effect. The method of concentrated decoction is: soak the Chinese medicine for 30 minutes, then boil it with high heat and then change to low heat and continue for 15 minutes. Then pour out the medicine juice and simmer it over low heat until the required amount is reached according to the age of the child (it would be best if experienced parents can directly boil the appropriate amount).

2. Pay attention to the amount of medicine. Just drink enough. Drinking more will not help your condition much. Generally speaking, for babies under 1 year old, it is best not to take more than 20 ml of Chinese medicine a day, and the number of times it is taken does not matter. Frequent taking is the main approach, as long as the medicine is drunk roughly evenly throughout the day; for babies aged 1 to 3 years old, the medicine can be decocted to about 40 ml and taken in 3 times; little ones aged 3 to 6 years old are relatively obedient, and the medicine can be decocted to 60 ml and taken in 3 times; after the age of 6, parents will have less worries and the medicine can be taken in two times.

If you want your child to grow up healthily, it is better to enhance your child's immunity through dietary adjustments rather than taking health supplements and Chinese medicine frequently. In daily meals, we should pay attention to the balance of diet and the freshness and hygiene of ingredients. When the weather is good, go out more and get some sun to avoid gastrointestinal problems. When a child is sick, targeted medication should be used based on the symptoms.