Ginseng is well-known as a very precious herb, and it has many effects mentioned in its medicinal value, so it is deeply loved by people. Regular consumption of ginseng can enhance Qi and blood, calm the mind, and benefit the spleen and lung. So many parents are concerned about whether children can take ginseng? Let’s study this topic together below.

(1) Inducing pseudo-precocious puberty in children. Regularly giving children tonics and supplements, even to school-age children or infants under one year old, can lead to pseudo-precocious puberty. This pseudo-precocious puberty is induced by parents and is therefore called pseudo-precocious puberty. Its characteristics include the enlargement of the penis in boys, sudden breast growth or vaginal discharge of whitish mucus in girls, and the growth of pubic hair. This completely damages the child’s physical and mental health and is not conducive to the child’s normal growth and development.

(2) Worsening existing conditions. If tonics that are incompatible with one’s constitution are taken, they are not only ineffective but can also worsen the condition. For example, people with yang deficiency taking yin-nourishing drugs will have more severe yang deficiency; those with yin deficiency taking invigorating tonics will have more severe yin deficiency; and people with frequent abdominal bloating taking tonics like ginseng and Astragalus will have their conditions worsen.

(3) Ginseng poisoning. There are many people who become poisoned by taking ginseng without a doctor’s guidance. According to expert research and analysis, taking ginseng continuously for a month, 3 grams per day, most people experience extreme excitement, irritability, insomnia, and even mental confusion or loss of personality. A child experienced symptoms such as increased blood pressure and restlessness after taking one dose of ginseng extract.

(4) Gastrointestinal symptoms. Children have weak spleen and stomach, and after taking prepared Rehmannia, tortoise shell, turtle shell, and Fuxiao, they often suffer from upper abdominal distension, greasy coating, decreased appetite, diarrhea, or constipation.

(5) Allergic reactions. There have been reports of a child experiencing difficulty breathing and hives after taking deer antler extract. In fact, most of the drugs on deer are warming and invigorating tonics, which are not suitable for children.

(6) Endocrine disorders. Frequent self-medication with tonics can also lead to dysregulation of the body’s endocrine function, resulting in early puberty, decreased immunity, and intellectual decline.

(7) Other symptoms. Self-medication, especially with tonics that are warm and hot in nature, often leads to nosebleeds, gum bleeding, thirst, constipation, and other symptoms. As can be seen from the above, children should not be given tonics arbitrarily. Even if children are ‘deficient’, it is usually spleen deficiency, while adults and the elderly are more likely to have kidney deficiency, so children should not take adult tonics. While gelatin can be used for children over 5 years old with blood deficiency, it should only be used in combination with other ingredients and not as a single herb. It seems that when children take tonics, they must be very careful.