The labels on these products don't explain their other ingredients, risks, side effects or possible harmful interactions with other substances. Most experts agree that there isn't enough evidence to say definitively whether herbs are safe and effective for children. In many cases they can be dangerous. Lately, there's been a growing number of health care professionals calling for regulation of herbal products. They contend that herbs should be treated more like prescription medicines, requiring tests to prove their effectiveness as well as labels indicating the dosage, side effects and potential interactions with other drugs.
Experts suggest there are several reasons why some people have lost faith in mainstream medicine.
And there's the high cost of prescription drugs to consider. Herbal manufacturers have been advertising their products. Unlike pharmaceutical companies, herbal manufacturers don't have to provide evidence to support their claims. Parents should be very careful when giving herbal medicine to children as their small bodies react differently than adults do.