Herbal Support for Kids with a Fever – Try This!

Caring for a child with a fever can feel overwhelming, especially when their temperature climbs and they seem flushed with heat and discomfort. As a caregiver, it’s natural to feel worried and wonder how best to address a fever in your little one.

Fevers, though a natural part of the body’s healing response, can seem daunting as they burn bright in a child’s small frame. But the good news is that nature offers gentle options to help ease the intensity of a fever, creating comfort for both the child and parent.

Herbs have long been trusted to soothe and support the body, offering a calm and cooling touch that helps to lower high fevers safely and effectively. With the gentle help of these herbal allies, you can bring balance back to your child’s body, allowing both of you to feel more at ease as the recovery process unfolds.

With that said, I’d like to share a tried-and-true herbal tea recipe that will help the next time your little one comes down with a fever. Let me encourage you to blend these dried herbs in advance so you have it on hand when needed.

Sweat It Out Diaphoretic Tea
From Herbal Academy’s Holistic Herbal Care for Kids Course

A classic herbal recipe to relax the tiny muscles surrounding the pores on the skin’s surface, allowing them to open so heat can be released from the body through sweat. This tea has relaxing aromatic botanicals and works best when sipped hot.

Ingredients

½ cup catnip (Nepeta cataria) aerial parts

½ cup elder (Sambucus nigra or S. canadensis) flower

¼ cup yarrow (Achillea millefolium) aerial parts

¼ cup peppermint (Mentha x piperita) leaf

Directions

• Combine all ingredients and store the blend in a labeled, tightly sealed storage container. Store in a cool, dark place and use within 12 months.
• To make, steep 2 tbsp of tea blend per 16 fl oz (480 mL) freshly boiled hot water in a heat-safe container, covered, for 15 minutes. Note: 2 tbsp is an adult dose, shift dose according to Clark’s or Young’s rule.
• Strain the tea through a tea strainer and compost or discard the plant material.
• Serve immediately as needed and store extra portions in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before making a fresh batch.
• Drink 2 fl oz (60 mL) of tea every 30 minutes.

*Clark’s and Young’s dosing rules are explained in more depth in the Herbal Safety lesson of the Holistic Herbal Care for Kids Course.

Now that you’ve got a gentle fever-easing tea recipe on hand, I’ve got some exciting news for fellow caregivers!

This autumn, the Herbal Academy is releasing a brand-new Holistic Herbal Care for Kids Course, designed to help you safely use herbs for children from infancy through adolescence. (This recipe is actually a sneak peek into the course!)

This course is now open for pre-registration and on sale through November 17! Plus, you can get two bonus digital downloads with your enrollment (one about managing fevers naturally and another all about creating an herbal first-aid kit)! How great is that?

But there’s more… you can upgrade your course enrollment to include the beautifully designed Herbal First Aid for Common Childhood Ailments Guidebook—a quick reference guide to 35+ common childhood conditions—or you can purchase the guidebook as a stand-alone product in Herbal Academy’s Goods Shop. This handy resource will provide you with practical at-home care tips, herbal suggestions, information on when to seek medical care, and 50 tried-and-true recipes—a must-have for any parent or caregiver, in my opinion!

Here are two ways to jump in:

1. Enroll in the Holistic Herbal Care for Kids Course, which is on sale through November 17. You can even bundle it with the Herbal First Aid for Common Childhood Ailments Guidebook to complete your herbal care for kids collection.
2. Order the Herbal First Aid for Common Childhood Ailments Guidebook individually for $29.99—perfect if you already have a solid understanding of using herbs for children!

Enjoy learning to care for your children this fall and grab a kiddo (or a teenager) and start crafting that herbal first-aid kit together!