Definition

Children who have completed their third year should be able to control the release of their urine. If a child in the fourth year of life is still wetting the bed at night, some pathological disorder is generally present.

Please Note: Because this disorder has a great many possible causes, it is absolutely essential to have a doctor examine the child! If the doctor finds that organic diseases or abnormalities are present, the treatment may begin immediately. If, however, no physical cause can be found, it may be due to general development delay or emotional development problems. In some cases a child psychologist or psychotherapist might be needed. A happy home and environment, with understanding parents and siblings, will help the emotional disturbance disappear.

Parents need to know that neither rebukes nor threats nor punishment are likely to be successful measures; even restricting a child's fluids or getting the child up at night will help, but cause harm.

With sympathy and understanding the parents usually can determine if the child is having nightmares, or something is troubling him, or he feels insecure or unsafe. Telling stories and reading aloud often helps reassure the child and make him feel loved and protected.

There are several remedies that can be tried if no organic cause can be determined by a doctor. Ask the doctor about these remedies and follow his advise.
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Treatment

ST. JOHN'S WORT TEA:
Has proved highly reliable, particularly in a fairly long course of treatment. Preparation: Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 heaping tsp. of St. John's wort (aerial parts), let steep for 5-10 minutes, then strain.
Application: In the morning and at noon, administer one small cup of this tea; it may be sweetened with honey (for diabetics, no honey). If the little patient is allowed to put the honey in the tea, this medicine works even better.

TEA BLEND:
This tea may be used instead of the one above:
St. John's wort, aerial parts, (20 parts)
Lemon balm leaves, (10 parts)
Orange flowers, (5 parts)
Preparation and Application: Same as for St. John's wort tea.
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Herbs

• Agrimony
• Alum root
• Bearberry
• Betony, wood
• Buchu
• Cleavers
• Corn silk
• Cubeb berries
• Elder
• Elm, slippery
• Fennel seed
• Flax
• Gravel root
• Hops
• Horehound
• Horsemint
• Horse tail grass
• Hyssop
• Indian Hemp, black
• Juniper
• Kava Kava
• Linden
• Milkweed
• Mullein
• Pipsissewa
• Plantain, water
• Pumpkin seed
• St. John's wort
• Sanicle
• Sarsaparilla
• Sassafras
• Senega
• Senna leaves
• Shepherd's purse
• Sumac, sweet
• Thuja
• Willow
• Yarrow

Recommendations

The massaging of the inner thighs with the oil of St. John's wort increases the sensitivity of the bladder sphincter and thus is effective with nighttime bed-wetting.

It has been observed that many children wet the bed only when they sleep on their back. Try to get the child used to turning onto their side to sleep. (The child will automatically turn onto their side if you tie a knot in the diaper or other nighttime garment, at the rear, at the child's back). Plenty of outdoor exercise and discouragement of fluids after 4:00 pm (but not restriction). Pleasant atmosphere and stress reduction are very important. Where there is happiness there is no room for tantrums, a defiant spirit, sullenness or depression. Engrossed as we are in our daily routine, we tend to forget how much health, in particular the health of a child who is weak for some reason, depends on the feeling of being wanted and loved in an environment of calmness, tranquillity and harmony.
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Bibliography

• The Nature Doctor, by Dr. H.C.A. Vogel; pgs. 171-173, 234.
• Back to Eden, by Jethro Kloss; pgs., 271-272, 234.
• Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, by Steven Foster and James A. Duke., pgs., 174, 250.
• Planetary Herbology, by Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D., O.M.D., pgs., 219, 250, 264, 296, 423.
• The Old Herb Doctor, by Joseph E. Meyer, pgs., 20-23.
• Indian Herbalogy of North America, by Alma R. Hutchens, pgs., 3, 50, 90, 94, 95, 146, 158, 167, 182, 203, 219, 220, 240, 242, 246, 248, 258, 259, 281.
• The Herb Book, by John Lust, pg., 61.
• The Complete Medicinal Herbal, by Penelope Ody, pgs., 176-177.
• Healing Plants, by Mannfried Pahlow, pgs, 94-95.

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