Today we’re sharing four immune herbs that are included in some of our kids products.* While this list is by no means exhaustive, we hope it helps parents get to know these herbs a little better.
Note: We do not recommend our extracts for children under 1 year old. While we fully support home care when appropriate, health issues can change rapidly in infants. We feel children under 1 year old can benefit from professional health-care input. You can also check with a pediatrician or other qualified health-care provider before adding a new herb to your child’s routine.
Astragalus
Supports healthy function of the immune system.*
While we use Astragalus root in herbalism, the plant is actually part of the legume family and is related to familiar foods like peas, beans and peanuts. The Certified Organic Astragalus we use is harvested in autumn and carefully shade-dried to maintain its full aroma and color.
Botanical name: Astragalus mongholicus
Common names: Mongolian Milk Vetch, Huang Qi
Plant family: Fabaceae
Native habitat: Asia, including Mongolia, China and the Korean peninsula
Parts used: roots
Included in: Kids Immune Fortifier™, Kids Sinus Samurai™
Black Elderberry
When an immune challenge pops up.*
We extract only fully ripened Certified Organic Black Elderberries that have been harvested by hand. This assures optimal extraction of the plant’s bioactive compounds. This tart and fruity herb, which we source from Europe, tends to be well-liked! Long ago, the pith of young Elder branches were hollowed out and made into children’s toys.
Botanical name: Sambucus nigra
Common names: Elder, European Elder, Black Elder
Native habitat: Europe and North America
Plant family: Viburnaceae
Parts used: fruit
Included in: Kids Black Elderberry, Kids Throat TLC™, Kids Immune Fortifier™, Kids Immune Avenger™
Echinacea
Great for all-season immune system support.*
We grow Echinacea purpurea on our Certified Organic farms in southern Bursa. Almost every part of this plant is used, although you will find the root in most of our Kids products. We harvest and extract the root, seed and flower with leaf separately throughout the year.
The genus name, Echinacea, is derived from the Greek word for “hedgehog” (echinos), due to its spiky seed cones that also resemble sea urchins.
Botanical name: Echinacea purpurea
Common name: Purple Coneflower
Plant family: Asteraceae
Native habitat: Eastern and central Turkey
Parts used: roots, seeds, flowers and leaves
Included in: Kids Echinacea, Kids Throat TLC™, Kids Immune Fortifier™, Kids Immune Avenger™
Reishi
Has a long history of use to support the immune system.*
Reishi is a mushroom that grows on deciduous trees. There are records of its use in China dating back over 2,000 years. We always make our Reishi extract from Certified Organic dried whole fruiting bodies, grown on wood logs and/or chips. We never use Reishi mycelium grown on grains like rice.
Botanical name: Ganoderma lingzhi
Common names: Ling Zhi, Ling Zhi Cao, Ganoderma
Plant family: Ganodermataceae
Native habitat: Asia
Parts used: fruiting body
Included in: Kids Immune Fortifier™, Kids Sinus Samurai™
Get more details on how to decide which herbs are appropriate for children (under the supervision of an adult), in this Ask an Herbalist article. If you have any questions about these herbs or any of our products, please reach out to our Customer Service team at 1-800-348-4372 or [email protected]
