Neem oil

by Jayakumar
(Tamilnadu)

My daughter is 6 years old and is suffering from severe cold, wheezing and cough. After trying all allopathic treatment now I switched over to Ayurvedic medicine.

Ayurvedic Doctor told me to give one drop of neem oil to my daughter. I am afraid to give. Is neem oil dangerous?
Please explain.

Comments for Neem oil

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I am concerned
by: Birgit

Dear Jayakumar,

I am not a doctor. If you asked me I could not recommend that you give your daughter neem oil. It is not safe to self medicate with neem oil.

The case is different if a doctor recommends a certain treatment. Usually if people ask me for medical advice, which of course I can't give, I recommend they seek out an Ayurvedic doctor. An Ayurvedic doctor knows more about this than I do.

If he recommends one drop, then I would assume that in this specific case it is reasonably safe.

I am, however, concerned, because there have been some incidents where children with fever had severe reactions towards neem oil. It's rare, but it can happen and the consequences can be fatal.

Neem oil contains aspirin like substances, and aspirin can cause the same severe symptoms in children with fever. That's why you should never give aspirin to children, and that's why my footer also warns to never treat children with fever with neem.

I assume that your doctor is aware of this and has weighed the risks against the benefits. Maybe ask him about this in more detail?

It is important to be aware of the associated risks and to keep a close eye on your daughter.

I am sorry that I have no more specific answer for you, but neem oil has not been researched in enough detail to answer such questions clearly. All we have to go by is previous experiences and incidents.

I hope your daughter will get well soon.

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