Ginger for children

With a thousand-year history of using ginger root for medicinal purposes and the virtually impeccable phytotherapeutic reputation it has today, the question still remains: can children use ginger?

Pediatricians say that ginger root can be used for children, but only after the child turns two years old, that is, when the number of glands in the gastric mucosa begins to increase, the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract differentiate and the digestive system adapts to a more "adult" diet. But European and American doctors do not recommend giving ginger to children under one year old.

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Useful properties of ginger for children

The list of numerous beneficial properties of ginger for children traditionally opens with vitamins, of which there are many in fresh ginger root (C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, E), and chemical elements (potassium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, selenium). But, imagine, all this is secondary, since many familiar vegetables and fruits have a similar set.

Ginger contains ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids, as well as essential amino acids – tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, tyrosine, etc. However, it’s not even about them: under normal conditions, every child gets them from food products – dairy, meat, cereals, legumes.

The medicinal properties of ginger are provided by the alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds (terpenes, terpenoids, terpene acids and their isomers) included in its essential oil. It is impossible to list them all, but the most active ones need to be named in order to provide some “biochemical arguments” confirming the beneficial properties of ginger for children and adults. These are 6-gingerol, 6-shogaol, zingerone, eugenol, capsaicin, myrcene, p-cymene, α- and β-pinenes, linalool, phellandrene, quercetin, β-bisabolene, farnesene, borneol, camphor; coffee, chlorogenic and ferulic acids, etc. And then - medical facts and recommendations on when and how to give ginger to children.

Ginger Root for Children: Cough, Runny Nose and More

Most phenol-containing natural compounds have antiseptic and antibacterial properties, and ginger root contains more than enough of them: gingerols, cineole; α-terpineol, shogaol, benzaldehyde, β-pinene, capsaicin, chlorogenic acid, citral, citronellal, furfural, limonene, linalool, myricetin, etc. β-bisabolene, α-pinene, curcumin, bornyl acetate, limonene, cymene and the above-mentioned acids have been shown to have antiviral properties (including against the herpes simplex virus), and 6-gingerol, 6-shogaol, borneol and eugenol have antipyretic properties. Therefore, ginger tea for children is one of the best home remedies for all colds and upper respiratory tract infections.

Ginger can be used for coughs in children: this will be helped by the combined expectorant action of cineole, camphene, geraniol, limonene, α-pinene, citral and bornyl acetate, as well as the bronchial-relaxing and calming effect of terpenoids linalool and nerol.

How to give ginger to children for colds? The same way as adults - in the form of tea. And making ginger tea for children is also easy. Cut off a small piece (2-2.5 cm long) from the root, peel it, cut it as finely as possible, pour two glasses of boiling water over it and boil for a quarter of an hour. Then the decoction is infused to an acceptable temperature for drinking and filtered. It is recommended to add a little honey (if the child is not allergic) and a slice of lemon; give 100-150 ml two or three times a day. By the way, while boiling the ginger, you can add a teaspoon of dry green tea, and before drinking, squeeze the juice from half an orange directly into the cup.

Ginger also helps when you have a sore throat – thanks to the analgesic properties of 6-gingerol, myrcene, 6-shogaol, p-cymene, quercetin, as well as coffee, ferulic and chlorogenic acids. In addition, ginger tea is recommended for tonsillitis: inflammation in the throat will pass faster, since the active substances of the plant inhibit the synthesis of the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX-2) - a catalyst for all inflammatory processes in the body.

Ginger for children's runny nose is used in the form of inhalations. The first method is to breathe in the vapors of a decoction of the root, the second is to grate a little ginger and inhale the emitted essential substances through the nose several times a day for 2-3 minutes.

Ginger is widely used as an alternative treatment for nausea associated with motion sickness in children. To do this, a mother needs to have a bottle of ginger essential oil with her, and as soon as the child feels sick, drop one or two drops of oil on her palm (it will evaporate more quickly from warm skin) and let the child breathe in.

Ginger root is safe and quite effective for children as a carminative, antidiarrheal, hepatoprotective agent. Due to the antihistamine properties of shogaol, gingerol, citral, myricetin, etc., they inhale the smell of ginger and drink ginger tea as an anti-asthmatic agent.

And the general calming effect that ginger tea gives to children is provided by gamma-aminobutyric acid, cineole, caryophyllene, citral and other substances in the root of this plant.

Contraindications to the use of ginger for children

As you understand, there are bound to be cases when, despite all the unconditional benefits of the plant, it is not worth using. Ginger is no exception: there are contraindications to the use of ginger for children.

Firstly, it is necessary to take into account the individual hypersensitivity of the organism, in which ordinary tea with ginger can cause an allergic reaction. Therefore - the first time giving ginger tea to a child with a cold - you should limit yourself to a few sips and monitor the reaction during the day: are there any rashes on the face, abdominal pain, bowel disorders, etc. In addition, ginger is contraindicated in diseases of the stomach and gall bladder, severe pathologies of the cardiovascular system, thrombocytopenia.

Potential harm of ginger for children is that the "horned root" thins the blood and can increase the risk of bleeding, and can also lower blood sugar levels. The flavonoid kaempferol does not combine with iron and impairs its absorption. The alkaloid capsaicin (which gives ginger its pungent taste) irritates the upper respiratory tract, skin and mucous membranes, and increases salivation. The action of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid is accompanied by a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. The terpentine galanolactone is an antagonist of 5-HT3 serotonin receptors - acting on these receptors in the intestine, it reduces the motor activity of the esophagus, which can cause gastrointestinal dyskinesia in preschool children.

But, in general, ginger can bring considerable benefits to children’s immunity: its active substances not only help regulate some metabolic processes in the body, but also protect it from free radicals, increasing resistance and defenses.

The book by Indian doctors S. and A. Pakrashi, “Ginger: A Versatile Healing Herb,” says that the ideal time to introduce ginger into a child’s diet is two months after the start of feeding with thicker foods. One of the main benefits that ginger provides for young children is solving problems of stomach upset, constipation, colic, and flatulence. Asian doctors believe that for this purpose, it is enough to give the baby a quarter teaspoon of fresh ginger juice mixed with half a teaspoon of fruit juice once a day.

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