One of the eight branches of Ayurveda, known as Bala Tantra or Kaumarabhritya, deals with pediatrics and includes aspects such as the care of the newborn, infant feeding, clinical examination, dentition, management of childhood diseases, and principles of treatment and therapies, as well as childhood samskaras (religious rites and ceremonies to purify body, mind, and spirit). Childhood is a tender but wonderful stage of human life. Because the dhatus are still immature, special care during childhood is essential. The physical development and the mental state during this period play a major role in the foundation of the rest of a person’s life.
Ayurveda views and classifies childhood ailments from their etiopathogenesis and suggests management of disease according to their cause, signs and symptoms, and possible complications. Such a complex approach is out of the scope of this article, so I will just go over some home remedies, Ayurvedic herbs, and herbal compounds that can be safely used in most cases of common childhood concerns, as well as other medicines typically used by Ayurvedic practitioners.
A Safe and Holistic Approach with Ayurveda
In our modern world, particularly in highly developed countries, it is easy to lose touch with the healing power within each one of us. From the moment a child is born she is literally injected with the belief that her immune system is not capable of doing its job properly without some artificial means like vaccinations and other drugs. Furthermore, nowadays the treatment for common childhood ailments consists mainly of allopathic drugs such as antibiotics. Of course, there may be times when such drugs are necessary, but all too often they could be substituted by a safer and more natural approach. Ayurveda has much to offer in the way of gentle and effective health care and disease prevention for children through diet and lifestyle, as well as the use of medicinal herbs and spices. For thousands of years herbs have been successfully used for addressing a wide variety of childhood disorders. Many herbs can strengthen the immune system and support the health of children of all ages in a safe and holistic manner.
One of the most important factors to consider for the health of a newborn is the health of the parents. For this reason, Ayurveda recommends that both parents undergo panchakarmabefore they wish to conceive a child. This helps to prevent their vikruti (current state of health) from being passed on to the baby. Once conception is achieved, the mother should be relaxed during pregnancy, reading spiritual books, chanting mantras, eating a doshic diet, receiving regular abhyanga, doing gentle and restorative yogasana, and meditating.
From conception onward, Ayurveda places great emphasis on post partum care for the mother to balance vata and promote health and vitality in her, as well as to ensure the healthy development of the fetus. After birth, both the newborn infant and the mother are to be cared for throughout the first forty days with the utmost attention. Traditionally, these duties consist of daily oil massage, bathing, and other herbal therapies. Even today in much of rural India and Nepal there is a wealth of wisdom on birthing and infant’s health care that lays in the hands of midwives and grandmothers, even though many restrictions have been placed upon them.
Ayurvedic Herbs for Colic and Constipation
Because food is our first and foremost form of nutrition, it should be considered our primary medicine. In Ayurveda many common fruits, vegetables, and culinary spices are used to help with a variety of childhood health complaints without the need for any other treatment. For instance, constipation in young children can be corrected by drinking a cup of warm milk before bedtime with one teaspoon of ghee added to it. Likewise, a good measure consists in including in the diet foods that have a natural laxative effect such as soaked raisins or dates, honey, bran, sesame seeds, mango, papaya, grapes, and fresh figs. Furthermore, encouraging proper eating habits and food combining when possible, sufficient water intake, high quality oils, and providing plenty of high fiber foods can be helpful in the prevention of constipation.
In the case of infants, the mother can apply a small amount of castor oil to her nipple before breastfeeding. For babies with intestinal colic, mix equal parts of Cumin, Fennel, and Coriander powder and add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of this mixture to a cup of hot water, let it steep for 15 to 20 minutes, then strain well. This tea can be given as needed to correct vata in the colon. The mother can also drink it to reduce the qualities of vata in her breast milk. In the case of infants, it is useful to administer the tea with a baby medicine dropper, available in most baby supply sections, and dilute it a little, if needed, to make it more palatable. There are a variety of Ayurvedic herbs and formulas that can be quite effective for constipation in toddlers and children, such as Triphala churna, Sat isabgol, Gandarva haritaki ,or Avipattikara churna, but care should be taken to choose the one that is most appropriate for the overall condition and constitution of the child. Other typical formulas used for colic and intestinal disorders are Eladi churna and Hingwastak churna. It is good to keep in mind that a good dosage for children is about one third the normal adult dosage, and even less for infants. Allopathic laxatives and strong laxative herbs should be avoided.
