Doctors often recommend the use of herbal medicines to treat coughs. There are different opinions regarding the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicines for use in pediatrics. Are they really so harmless to children? The instructions for use "Herbion" from dry cough provides information on when the drug can be used and how to do it correctly.

Composition, release form and packaging

It is easiest for small patients to take the medicine in liquid form. Sweet brownish-reddish syrup is great for treating children.

The medicine consists immediately of two active ingredients, both of which are of natural origin.

The syrup contains extracts from medicinal plants:

  • plantain leaves;
  • flowers of mallow.

The ratio of components is identical, in one teaspoon of syrup (5 ml) is 1.25 g of active ingredient. The technology for the production of liquid drugs involves diluting the pure extract with water (1: 5) to reduce the concentration, which can cause an allergic reaction in children.

In addition to herbal components, the medication has additional ingredients:

  • ascorbic acid, which allows the drug to become a means of increasing immunity;
  • sucrose, which should be considered in the case of pathologies of the endocrine system;
  • orange flavor that adds a pleasant smell to syrup;
  • preservatives that extend the shelf life of the drug.

The manufacturer pours sparse syrup into 150 ml dark glass vials. This amount of medication is usually enough for two to three courses of dry cough therapy in children. For ease of dispensing, a plastic spoon is included in the package along with the insert.

Pharmacological action, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics

A dry cough literally tears apart the mucous membranes of the throat, provoking new attacks, and also causes inflammation of the respiratory tract.

An extract of one of the main components of the drug - plantain leaves - softens the inner membranes, protecting them from damage and inflammation with new unproductive spasms.

Another function of a plant extract in syrup is to stimulate the withdrawal of sputum from the bronchi. The drug turns a cough into a productive one, which improves the condition of a small patient.

Mallow extract and vitamin C contribute to the production of interferon in a weakened body, which, in turn, increases protective abilities. Ascorbic acid also has regenerative abilities, accelerates the renewal of damaged tissues.

Complex components fight pathogenic bacteria, reducing the overall symptoms of the disease, accompanied by a dry cough.

Extracts from plants, entering the body, act immediately in the throat and larynx, gently enveloping the damaged membranes of the respiratory tract.

Vitamin C is absorbed into the bloodstream in the digestive tract. Together with blood, it is supplied to all organs. Metabolites of ascorbic acid along with unchanged substance (about half) are excreted in the urine throughout the day.

In what cases is the drug prescribed

Indications for taking the drug can only be a dry unproductive cough of various etiologies (clarified or unexplained).

Doctors prescribe the medication comprehensively, along with other drugs, in such cases:

  • pneumonia;
  • bronchitis of various origins;
  • tracheitis.

It is important to control the nature of the attacks and the presence of sputum in the patient. If the cough becomes productive, it is necessary to cancel the drug and replace it with another drug, an antitussive.

Phytopreparation is also used if:

  • infections in the upper respiratory tract;
  • acute laryngitis associated with the professional activity of the patient (singers, actors, teachers);
  • chronic cough in smokers;
  • allergy attacks in the form of a reflex after inhaling toxins or dry air;
  • spasmodic dry cough without a diagnosed cause.

Instructions for use plantain syrup Herbion for children

Only compliance with all the rules for the use of a medication will ensure an effective result in the shortest possible time.

The drug is approved for use by small patients, starting from the age of two. How to take "Herbion" from dry cough for children? It is important to follow the recommendations of the attending physician, who will indicate the individual dosage and duration of therapy.

The standard scheme is as follows:

  • 2-7 years - 5 ml of syrup three times a day;
  • from 8 to 14 years - a maximum of 10 ml 2-3 times a day;
  • older than 14 years - 10 ml to five doses per day.

Sweet syrup should be drunk after eating. Then you should drink a glass of warm liquid - water, stewed fruit, tea (preferably green).

How much can be treated with a herbal preparation depends on the symptoms and progress in the patient's condition. The doctor usually prescribes a course from two to three weeks.

It is important for a separate group of patients to consider the presence of sucrose in the drug. One measuring spoon contains 4 g of this substance.

During pregnancy and lactation

Is it possible to drink "Herbion" during pregnancy and during feeding? These conditions are not categorical contraindications for taking the drug.After all, the medicine has a natural herbal composition, in addition, it has a minimal systemic effect.

But still this issue has not been studied in detail, therefore there is a risk of penetration of components through the placenta to the fetus and with milk into the body of the baby. This can cause a deterioration in the well-being of the child.

Therefore, doctors do not recommend treatment with syrup, especially for women in the third period of gestation. If there is no other treatment option for a nursing mother, it is better to temporarily stop lactation.

Drug interaction

In infectious diseases, syrup is often used in combination with other medicines. Immunostimulants and antiviral drugs along with herbal remedies increase each other's effectiveness and accelerate the healing process.

It is strictly forbidden to take syrup with drugs that suppress cough. This action leads to stagnation of mucus and aggravation of symptoms, causing severe complications and pathologies.

And also you should carefully consider the presence of ascorbic acid in the syrup. An additional intake of vitamin complexes with this component in the composition causes hypervitaminosis.

Contraindications, side effects and overdose

The herbal composition of the drug causes a small number of conditions in which it is strictly forbidden to take syrup:

  • age less than 2 years;
  • 3 trimester of pregnancy and lactation;
  • allergy to components.

Most contraindications are associated with the presence of sucrose in a liquid medicine, which not everyone can take in such quantity.

It is undesirable to drink syrup:

  • patients with diabetes;
  • people with individual sensitivity to fructose;
  • patients with isomaltose malabsorption syndrome;
  • people with galactose absorption dysfunction;
    sick with a stomach ulcer.

Pertussis and liver pathology in some cases will also become a reason for refusing treatment with Herbion syrup. The decision on the methods of therapy is made by the doctor.

It is important to take the medicine only if you have a dry cough. A productive cough is treated with other drugs.

Most side effects are caused by an allergy to the herbs that make up the medicine.

They appear infrequently and are as follows:

  • rash;
  • hives;
  • itching
  • Quincke's edema;
  • phenomena of dyspepsia (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea).

If some of these symptoms occur, you must stop treatment with syrup and consult a doctor to correct therapy.

An overdose of a herbal preparation is very rare. A sign is an aggravation of side effects. The treatment is symptomatic.

Herbion syrup analogs for dry cough

For various reasons (allergies, pathologies), some children should not take the drug in question. Then there is a need for a replacement tool.

Medicines with the same composition in pharmacology do not exist. But there are many expectorant drugs that effectively work on a non-productive cough.

Perfectly cope with liquefaction of sputum and the elimination of spasms in children:

  • Pastilles or Bronchicum syrup with thyme extract;
  • Sinecode suspension with butamirate citrate;
  • Mukaltin tablets with marshmallow extract;
  • Pectolvan Stop drops with butyrate citrate and guaifenesin, Pectolvan Ivy syrup with ivy extract;
  • syrup "Linkas" with the collection of herbs;
  • Drops "Stoptussin" (for babies from 2 months old) with butamirate citrate and guaifenesin;
  • "Syrup of Althea";
  • drops and Codelac syrup with sodium bicarbonate and licorice root.

Often the dilemma is which drug to choose for children from dry cough: “Sinecode” or “Herbion”. The medicine is selected individually, taking into account the symptoms of a particular disease. Both remedies effectively eliminate spasmodic cough, contributing to a better discharge of sputum.

You can use Sinecode from the age of three, and the discussed drug is allowed to be given to two-year-old patients. Herbion consists of natural components, and the second medicine is their synthetic. Components of both drugs can cause allergies in children.

"Sinecode" faster copes with spasms that cause a gag reflex in a child. Phytopreparation has an antibacterial effect. The first medicine can cause lethargy and drowsiness, while the second one has no such side effects.

The cost of drugs is approximately the same, although Herbion is slightly more expensive than analogues.

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