Loading...
Estimates of dietary botanical supplements and tea use in national samples of U.S. children range from 1% to 4%, but the rate of use in infants only is unknown. Researchers analyzed data from a nationwide survey of about 3000 mothers of healthy infants who received 10 questionnaires during their infants' first year about infant feeding practices and oral intake of dietary botanical supplements (any plant-based remedy) or any tea during the previous 2 weeks. Most respondents were white, middle income, and college educated.
Nine percent of mothers reported at least once that their infants had been given dietary botanical supplements or tea; 3.6% reported this activity more than once. About 2% of infants received botanical supplements or tea during their first month. Maternal use of these products and Hispanic ethnicity were significantly associated with giving botanical supplements and tea to infants. The most commonly administered products were gripe water, chamomile, teething tablets, and tea. The most common reasons for giving these products to infants were to help with fussiness, digestion, colic, relaxation, and teething. The most common sources of information about botanical products were friends and relatives, healthcare professionals, and the media.
Zhang Y et al. Feeding of dietary botanical supplements and teas to infants in the United States. Pediatrics 2011 Jun; 127:1060. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-2294)
Comment
In this study, reported use of dietary botanical supplements and teas in infants of predominantly white, middle-income mothers was higher than estimates from studies of all U.S. children, and Hispanic mothers were nearly twice as likely as white mothers to report infant botanical product use. Although no good evidence exists to support the effectiveness of these remedies for the nonspecific symptoms reported in this study, I do consider them to be safe, with caveats. For example, gripe water –– a mixture that often includes bicarbonate, ginger, dill, fennel, and chamomile –– occasionally contains alcohol or sucrose. One case of Pseudomonas sepsis from a foreign version of gripe water has been reported. I recommend asking parents about use of botanicals for their infants and warning them to read labels for undesirable ingredients and to be aware of possible, although rare, contamination. Botanical supplements are not regulated by the FDA.