Ayurvedic Home Remedies: Ayurvedic Remedies for Children with ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is found in 5 to 10% of children. Hyperactivity alone does not decide ADHD, since it is normal to find children overly active and boisterous up to about four or five years of age. ADHD symptoms are found to typically occur before the age of seven. It is very difficult to differentiate between a normal kid behavior and ADD/ADHD.

Symptoms of ADD/ADHD

Hyperactivity is one of the guiding symptoms but there are children with ADHD who are not excessively active, but inattentive, unmotivated and appear spacey. Most of the children with ADHD enjoy doing activities they love but find it difficult to focus on tasks that are boring or repetitive. They are not be able to stay quiet and sit still on one place. They exhibit a sense of urgency and restlessness that is not normal to children of their age. The intensity of the condition cannot be gauged by the activities of the child.

Children are found to be restless and they have a tough time completing their homework or other exercises. They are found to shake their legs constantly. They frequently commit mistakes due to their inattentiveness. They may not complete a task at hand, and will move to other tasks only to discard them later for another one.

Though all children exhibit these symptoms though infrequently, in case of children with ADHD these are observed as a constant occurrence at school, home and at play. This condition is found to be mostly hereditary in nature.

One positive thing to note is that this condition does not affect their studies and most of them are found to perform well in exams like any normal child. Boys are found to be affected more by this condition than girls. If left unattended, this condition can affect the child’s interaction with itself and with others. This can give rise to difficulty in communication, tiredness, depression etc.

Ayurvedic Remedies for ADHD/ADD

Children with ADHD are generally found to be restless. They will not stay in one place and will move about constantly. They usually misplace toys and other items. They behave impulsively and often intrude on other people’s speech, games etc. These symptoms resemble the nature of ‘vata’ or ‘vayu’. ‘Vaayu’ by its nature is restless and is one of constant movement. This is related to ‘Praana’.

According to Ayurveda specialist Dr S Mahadevan, abhyanga with shastika tailam made from navara rice and pacharavindha ghee made from lotus are effective in treating this condition. In his book ‘Deva Marundhu’ Dr S Mahadevan suggests some ayurvedic treatment options for ADHD. He finds application of a paste of panchagandha choornam on head and enema with dhanwanthara tailam to be effective. Regular application is found to bring the restlessness under control.

He suggests that these children should be taught to sit still in a place for one or two minutes initially and then the duration should be increased. They can be taught to repeat some mantras or songs during this period. These are some of the alternative treatment options available for children with ADHD symptoms.



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Ayurvedic Home Remedies: Home Remedies for Children - 2



Stomach Problems in Children
Home Remedy for Diarrhea in Children
Children often suffer from stomach problems due to various reasons. Constipation, diarrhea, stomach ache etc affect them frequently.  Diarrhea is the frequent watery bowel movement caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Impure drinking water, spoiled food, improper digestion etc can lead to diarhhea. ‘Body heat’ can also induce diarrhea in small kids. Diarrhea causes depletion in body fluids leads to dehydration. There is loss of water, sodium and other essential salts.

Symptoms of diarrhea include headaches, decreased blood pressure, fainting, unconsciousness, swelling of tongue, delirium, decreased urine output, dark urine, thirst, lethargy, sleepiness etc. If left untreated, diarrhea can be life-threatening.

If there is vomiting along with diarrhea, this can lead to a rapid depletion of body fluids. The immediate step in treating this condition is to replace the lost fluids and salt. Oral rehydration therapy is the best course of treatment. Here the patient is given a solution of salts and sugars by mouth. Intravenous administration can be done in extreme cases.

In case of diarrhea and blood in stool in children, this can be due to amoebic infection. Chances of contracting diarrhea in little kids who are fed breast milk are very rare. Breast milk provides the much needed immunity to children to fight diarrhea and amoebic infections.

Given below are some herbal remedies for children with blood in stool.

Sweet flag or Calamus has been used extensively for ages in treating stomach disorders. It has a very distinctive smell, and its essential oil is used in perfume industry. It has been used in Chinese and Indian herbal traditions. Ayurveda uses Calamus for treating digestive disorders.

Dry sweet flag root is rubbed against a clean rough surface adding a few drops of water. The ensuing fine paste is collected. The paste is smeared onto the child’s tongue as a thin paste once.This can be done in the mornings and evenings to treat bloody watery stools in children.

Carom seeds or omam (Tamil) has been used in Indian traditional medicine for treating digestive disorders. Studies have shown that it arrests the growth of pathogens in stomach while leaving the beneficial flora unaffected. Pirandai (Cissus) is an herb that has gastroprotective properties.

Take a handful of pirandai leaves. Take a table spoon of carom seeds and powder it coarsely.Heat the leaves and powdered carom seeds mildly on a pan. Remove from heat and extract the juice from the leaves. This juice a spoonful can be given in the mornings and evenings. Make a fresh preparation each time. This is an effective remedy for diarrhea and bloody stool in children.

Vasambu (Sweet flag), omam (Carom seeds) chukku (dried ginger), turmeric, perungayam (asafoetida) are taken in equal quantities, fried and ground to a fine powder. A pinch of this powder is given in vilakennai (castor oil) in case of bloated stomach. Otherwise this powder can be given in honey. This powder is found to be effective in treating bloody stools and diarrhea in children.

Mint leaf (pudhina) is yet another herb used extensively in treating gastric disorders. It is found to relieve bloated stomach, and mint tea is found to help with stomach pain.

Take a handful of pudhina (mint) leaves in an earthen pot. Add a cup of water and heat it. Reduce it to quarter of a cup. Filter out the water with a sieve. This water or this mint decoction is given twice a day to treat diarrhea.


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