Studies Show That Natural Ingredients Can Help With Colic

A new study which was published on March 28, 2011 in Pediatrics online magazine shows that in clinical trials, relief of colic was seen with fennel extract, herbal tea and sugar water. Although it is reported that the trials do have limitations (i.e. too few patients or not being double blinded) pediatricians agree that these natural ingredients are safe to give to babies, so there is no harm in doctors recommending them. An article in U.S. News quotes, “"It's reasonable for parents to consider those kinds of interventions for which there is some suggestion of benefit but no known risks," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York.” Colic causes misery for both parents and babies alike, yet researchers have

not been able to find why colic happens. As a result, numerous studies have been done to see what helps soothe a colicky infant (and in turn, giving parents a good night rest). To try and pinpoint an answer, the article states that “. . . study authors searched various databases of medical research and chose 15 randomized clinical trials involving alternative treatments for colic. The studies were published between 1991 and 2008, came from 10 different countries and included a total of 944 children.” One of these studies showed that infants given fennel extract compared to infants given a placebo seemed to cry less and yet another found that infants given a tea containing chamomile, vervain, licorice, fennel and balm-mint seemed to work. A third study found that infants who were given a tea containing fennel, lemon balm and chamomile cried less than infants given a placebo.