Use of Botanical Dietary Supplements in Infants and Children and Their Effects on Health

Abstract


 
 Botanical Dietary Supplements (BDS) has an important
 part in the human diet throughout the history. People, who lived in ancient
 times, relied on the plants for the treatment of diseases of infants and
 children. According to World Health Organization, approximately 80 percent of
 the population who live in developing countries use herbal supplements in order
 to meet the basic health needs of relies on Botanical Dietary Supplements for infants and children
 are used for upper respiratory tract infection, lack of appetite,
 gastrointestinal disorders, sleep disorders, urinary tract disorders,
 gynecological diseases and skin diseases. Furthermore, not only the medical
 products but also botanical dietary supplements are used for Attention Deficit
 Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, inflammatory bowel disease, cystic
 fibrosis, Rheumatoid arthritis, along with chronic diseases like asthma or
 cancer. The most widely used botanical dietary supplements are echinacea, St.
 St. John's wort, ginseng and ginkgo biloba. On the other hand, the use of
 botanical dietary supplements by infants and children not may only cause side
 effects but also can interact with other drugs used. It should be noted that
 the dosage of botanical supplements consumption for children also differs from
 the dosage for adults. In conclusion, this paper explains which botanical
 dietary supplements can be used by infants and children and their positive and
 negative effects on health