Irish Medicines Board recommends against giving children Echinacea

The Irish Medicines Board is recommending that herbal remedies containing Echinacea should not be given to children under the age of 12.

It follows a review of data on the safety and effectiveness of Echinacea, which the IMB says has found a lack of scientific data to support the use of the products.

The Medicines Board is now contacting retailers requesting that children's products containing Echinacea are removed from sale.

Anne O'Connor of the Irish Medicines Board says children under 12 can develop serious side effects as a result.

"There is the potential for rare but serious side effects to occur," she said.

"So we have some concerns over this. The allergic-type reactions that can occur in children are things like skin rashes, swelling of the face and tongue, respiratory problems.

"It’s particularly important when children are more sensitive, like children that asthma, hay fever or maybe eczema."