Medicinal Herbalist?

[LaTristesse]

Afternoon all...

Has anyone experience of using a Medicinal Herbalist to treat a baby? (Gastric difficulties). My HV recommended one this morning, and while I'm very keen to try anything, especially anything that doesn't involve wasting me time at the doctors, I'm a little cautious about trying alternative therapies on someone so small.

Anyone?

Thanks. x

Hmm, I wouldn't, no. Herbs can be powerful.

Herbal therapies don't tend to have the safety data that most pharmaceuticals do.

And children are a group which tends not to have safety studies done on them.

Yes of course babies can be treated with herbs - by a trained medical herbalist. And they tend to respond very well and very quickly to herbal treatment.

Herbs are powerful - um that's why you need a degree to practise...

Lots of empirical evidence on use of herbs in children/babies and obviously any trained herbalist will be extremely careful working with children/babies.

But isn't herbalist an unprotected term? One without statutory protection?
So anyone can call themselves one.

I had understood most belonged to certain professional bodies which have guidelines for them to work to.
But they can be no censure beyond expulsion if there are problems.

So many may have degrees, although I don't imagine that they'll match up to a medical degree in diagnostics and pharmacology but they won't have to.

And if you'd care to point us in the direction of the evidence on children and babies I'd appreciate it.

should the nhs be recomending someone whos medical products havent been lisensed by the nhs?

NIHM website

If you have any queries then get in touch with them.

Training as a Herbal Practitioner takes at least four years and all aspects of health care - from diagnostics to prescription are stringent and tested at all levels.

Thanks for your replies; I thought opinions would differ!

I think I'll give her a call and have a chat.

I took Dd2 to a herbalist when she was about 5 months and she's been taking herbal medicine ever since. ( she also has significant health problems and takes a lot of conventional medicines)
I found the herbalist very thorough & professional and very good for general dietetic advice as well