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Knowledge of herbal and pharmaceutical medicines among Luo children in western Kenya

Primary school children aged between 10 and 15 years old in a rural community in western Kenya are frequently ill and have considerable knowledge of both herbal remedies and pharmaceuticals in treating common illnesses, such as headache, cold, fever, abdominal complaints and injuries. This paper explores this area of children's medical knowledge and practice, looking at children's ideas about and categorisation of illness and medicines, and their perceptions of medicinal efficacy. Differences between children in their medicinal knowledge and the relation between children's knowledge and that of adults in the community are described. Children appear to learn about medicines and medical practices in an informal, experiential and experimental way, from practical involvement in the treatment of illness in the family, and the authors suggest that the ways in which children learn about medicine should be further explored. The paper contributes to the literature on lay treatment of illness by focusing on children's knowledge of medicinal treatments in a context of medical pluralism.