Iron tonic for children

Kids food- and for mamas as well.

Iron Tonic

(Taken from Rosemary Gladstar’s book “Herbal Healing for Women.”)

Ingredients:

3 parts nettle
3 parts dandelion leaf
3 parts dandelion root
3 parts raspberry leaf

2 parts watercress
2 parts alfalfa leaf
1 part hawthorn berries
1 part yellow dock root
1 part dulse
1/4 part horsetail

Directions:

1.    Use two ounces of herb mixture to one quart of water.  Over low heat, simmer the liquid down to one pint.  This will give you a very concentrated, thick tea.

2.   Strain the herbs form the liquid.  Compost the herbs and pour the liquid back into the pan.

3.   To each pint of liquid, add one cup of honey or maple syrup.  Mix well.  (Do not put the mixture back on the heat, as this will cook the enzymes out of the honey.  Ayurveda also states that cooked honey creates toxins in the body).  You may also wish to add less sweetener, ½ cup, as you will have a very sweet syrup otherwise).

4.   You may choose to add 3 tbsps per cup of brandy to the finished syrup.  Brandy helps to preserve the syrup.  For children, I would add half the amount, if at all.  When they take it, they will be getting such a small dosage of the brandy that it will not harm them.  However, some parents may wish to omit it and that is fine.  Just know that it will not keep as long in your fridge, (may only last 2 weeks as opposed to a few months). 

After adding the honey or maple syrup, stir in two teaspoons of spirulina powder and two teaspoons of nutritional yeast for each pint of syrup you've made. Add one-eighth cup brandy and one-fourth cup fruit concentrate. Fruit concentrates, available at natural food stores, are concentrated extracts of fresh fruit, and add additional vitamins and minerals as well as a delicious fruity flavor. Do not add juice, as it will dilute the syrup and encourage possible fermentation. The suggested dosage of iron-plus syrup varies depending on the age of your child.  See chart below:

Determining Dosages By Young’s and Cowling’s Rules

These rules for dosage determination rely on mathematical calculations using the child’s age

Young’s Rule: Add 12 to the child’s age.  Divide the child’s age by this total.

Crowling’s Rule: Divide the number of the child’s next birthday by 24.

*The suggested adult dosage for the iron tonic is 4-6 tbsp, 3 times daily.  Try giving a small dosage to begin with to “test” it.  You can increase the dosage slowly as tolerated by your child.  Consult a naturopath for dosage recommendations if you have any concerns.