The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) has issued new advice against the use of certain herbal remedies on children.

It is now recommending that herbal products containing echinacea should not be used on children under 12-years-old.

It follows a review of 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 echinacea-containing products are removed from sale.

Echinacea herbal products for adults are not affected.

However some may contain product information relating to children’s dosage, which the IMB says recommends should not be given to under 12s.

In a statement the IMB says the implementation of the European Herbal Medicines Directive in Ireland in 2011 prompted a review of previously unregulated herbal products on the Irish market.

It adds that the available safety data as well as guidance from the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) were evaluated.

The IMB concluded that the use of echinacea can be associated with rare side effects – mainly allergic reactions – which in some cases may be severe.