Winter is the peak of cold and flu season, especially for children who are more susceptible to illness, many parents for the sake of the little one’s health, will give them tonic, hoping they will gain better fitness. So is it appropriate for little kids to intake Chinese tonic?

Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association points out that infants and children belong to the juvenile yin yang body. This is the most productive phase of growth, easy to absorb food nutrients. Because children are vulnerable to the physical changes affected by food, especially the nature of the food is too strong, so in case of disease-free, no matter what the season, it is advice not to intake Chinese tonic. Practitioners said that in the children’s daily lives, as long they are in a balanced diet, not a partial eclipse, and adequate rest, sleep normal, under normal circumstances, parents do not need to feed tonic to their children.

If the child has serious physical weakness or recovering from illness, parents can use a more peaceful nature tone of Chinese tonic, to help increase the ability for digestion and absorption, to obtain adequate nutrition, promote growth and development for the children.

Registered Chinese medicine practitioners said that many parents often worry about their children for malnutrition which in turn give them Chinese tonic, but actually this might have a side effect. Traditional Chinese Medicine points out that is not appropriate to feed tonic to young children because tonic will increase growth hormones, eating too much can cause kidney yin and yang to loose balance, causing symptoms of premature children. Common Chinese tonic supplements such as Royal Jelly, Chinese caterpillar fungus, and edible nest of cliff swallows, etc., inclusive of hormones, improper eating can cause precocious puberty. If parents do not know whether it is appropriate tonic for their child should first consult a doctor, they will help give the best professional advice to their children accordingly.