Tea - (Cold Relief) tea for Infants

This tea is for young infants having finished nursing. Do the same thing when testing new foods with your children - before giving any new herbs to young children and infants - Test each herb with a small sip of tea plus simple skin tests before giving any large doses ... these are herbal medications and you don't want to deal with allergic reactions on top of having a cold. Check for difficulty in breathing, increased resperation, hives - redness or soreness on contact area. If test shows a positive reaction then substitute with an alternate herb that has the same medicinal qualities and test again for the new herb. It is surprising how many children have allergic reactions.

Herbal supplement can be used for young infants suffering from congestion and colick, small amounts of herb tea might bring relief. Several ounces daily of herb tea made from:

• chamomile,
• vervain (Verbena officinalis),
• licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra),
• fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and
• lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)

With each cold episode, offer tea up to about 5 ounces at a time, not more than three times daily. The tea can help to eliminate cold symptoms.

Fennel, vervain, chamomile and lemon balm relax the intestines; the latter three herbs relax the nervous system. Licorice is anti-inflammatory and soothes mucous membrane linings.

Herbs for colic also include catnip (Nepeta cataria), dill seed (Anethum graveolens) and caraway seed (Carum carvi).

Herbs to avoid which are found in some baby and infant recipes are:

• Anise seed (Pimpinella anisum) which is safe but easily confused with star anise, which has been linked to two cases of poisoning. In one case, Chinese star anise (Illicium verum) was contaminated with Japanese star anise (Illicium religiosum), the latter of which is neurotoxic. To avoid any confusion, use fennel rather than anise.
• Peppermint (Mentha ¥piperita), which eases cramping and gas in adults but is too strong for babies; Use spearmint (Mentha spicata), rather than peppermint, which is milder.
• Also note that some people are allergic to chamomile.

To make tea, boil water, turn off the burner, add the herbs (1 teaspoon of dried herb per cup for adults; 1/2 teaspoon herb for infants), steep 10 minutes, strain well and cool until the liquid is comfortable on your inner wrist. Make a fresh batch each day.

Offer tea up to about 5 ounces at a time, but not more than three times daily for cold symptoms. The tea eliminates colic symptoms.