Brain & Nervous System
Convulsions
Sudden, involuntary muscular contractions from an electrical malfunction in the brain — treat the underlying cause promptly.
Also known as: Spasms, Seizures, Fits
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: Epilepsy (most common cause); High fevers in children; Meningitis and other brain infections.
First thing to try: CAUTION -- a convulsion or seizure needs care-first action: protect the person from injury, cushion the head, turn them on their side once movements settle, and never put anything in the mouth or give food, drink, or herbs during the seizure. Do NOT induce vomiting. Call your local emergency number for a first seizure, one lasting more than 5 minutes, repeated seizures, or a seizure in a baby, in pregnancy, or after a head injury. The measures below are unproven and must never replace emergency medical care.
See a doctor if: Any first-time convulsion
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- Epilepsy (most common cause)
- High fevers in children
- Meningitis and other brain infections
- Poisoning
- Calcium deficiency
- Impacted bowel releasing toxins
- Panic, fear, or extreme excitement
- Tetanus
Change what you can
- CAUTION -- a convulsion or seizure needs care-first action: protect the person from injury, cushion the head, turn them on their side once movements settle, and never put anything in the mouth or give food, drink, or herbs during the seizure. Do NOT induce vomiting. Call your local emergency number for a first seizure, one lasting more than 5 minutes, repeated seizures, or a seizure in a baby, in pregnancy, or after a head injury. The measures below are unproven and must never replace emergency medical care.
- Identify the cause before administering any remedy.
- If from poisoning: induce vomiting with an emetic immediately.
- If from fright: antispasmodic tinctureA concentrated herbal extract made with alcohol. How to make a tincture → with cayenne stops the attack.
- If from impacted bowel: catnip injection into the colon relieves constipation and soothes nerves.
- Loosen clothing and give fresh air.
- Do not place anything between the teeth.
- If an infant: put in a warm bath (95 degrees F) or mustard-and-water bath (85 degrees F); apply cold to the head.
- Helpful herbs: catnip, skullcap, peony, valerian (2 cups every 2 hours after the episode).
- Take calcium (ask your practitioner about the right amount for you) and magnesium (ask your practitioner about the right amount for you) daily.
- Fast on fruit juices, water, and nervine herbA plant, or part of one, used for flavor, food, or gentle health support. More → teas until all symptoms subside.
🌿 Then assist nature: remedies & protocols
With the cause being addressed, these are the actual things people do for this — ranked by the community. Vote ▲ on what helped you and ▼ on what didn't, and open How to do it for the steps. Each shows two quick signals: Evidence (how much science backs it) and Gentleness (how safe and in keeping with whole, natural health).
★ Start here — our first-line pick, pinned for safety
The safe, essential response to any convulsion.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: A convulsion cannot be stopped by hand, but protecting the head and clearing the airway prevents harm while the brain's electrical storm settles.
- Stay calm; note the time it begins.
- Move hard and sharp objects away and cushion the head.
- Once movements ease, turn the person onto their side to protect the airway.
- Do NOT restrain them or place anything in the mouth.
- Loosen tight clothing and stay until they recover; let them rest.
Through the event and recovery · As needed
Caution: Never put fingers or objects in the mouth. Do not hold the person down.
When to get help: Call emergency services for any first convulsion, one lasting over 5 minutes, repeated convulsions, injury, trouble breathing, or convulsions in an infant - the cause must be found urgently.
Source: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 7th ed
Comments & experiences ▾
Also helps — ranked by the community (vote to reorder)
Supportive cooling for febrile convulsions - always seek medical advice.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Many childhood convulsions come from a rapid fever spike; gentle cooling brings the temperature down without shocking the body, as a comfort measure while care is arranged.
- First, keep the child safe as in convulsion first aid and get medical help.
- Remove heavy clothing and bedding; do not bundle them up.
- Sponge the skin with a lukewarm (not cold) damp cloth.
- Offer sips of fluid once fully alert.
- Keep the room cool and airy.
Until fever eases / help arrives · As needed
Caution: Use lukewarm, never cold water or ice - cold can cause shivering and harm. Never leave a convulsing child alone.
When to get help: A child's first febrile convulsion, or any lasting over 5 minutes, needs emergency care; suspected meningitis (stiff neck, rash, drowsiness) is an emergency.
Source: Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 7th ed
Comments & experiences ▾
How the numbers work: a weighted voting system — trusted published sources cast endorsement votes for each protocol, and your ▲/▼ adds to them. Not medical advice.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- Any first-time convulsion
- Convulsions in a pregnant woman
- Convulsions lasting more than 5 minutes
- Person does not regain consciousness
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your convulsions — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
Convulsions are sudden, involuntary muscular spasms triggered by a brain electrical malfunction. They may be caused by epilepsy, high fever, poisoning, calcium deficiency, or bowel impaction. Identifying and treating the underlying cause is the first step.
Convulsions are uncontrolled body movements set off by an electrical malfunction in the brain. They may be caused by epilepsy, meningitis, tetanus, uremia, or poisoning. In children, they are often caused by high fevers. Calcium deficiency and panic can also cause spasms. The treatment depends entirely on the underlying cause.
Common signs
- Sudden, uncontrolled body movements
- Muscle rigidity alternating with relaxation
- Loss of consciousness in severe cases
- Confusion and exhaustion afterward
🍃 Supporting foods & habits
The gentle, everyday foods and supports that help in the background — secondary to the active remedies above. Vote on what helped you.
Good hydration supports the body, and treating fever helps with fever-related convulsions (a first or prolonged seizure is an emergency).1000
Rest and recovery follow a seizure; protect the person from injury during one and never restrain them.970
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Favor these
- Calcium-rich plant foods: leafy greens, beans, sesame seeds
- Magnesium-rich foods: nuts, seeds, whole grains
- Fresh fruit juices and vegetable broths
Go easy on
- Junk food and soft drinks
- White sugar and processed carbohydrates
Test for food allergies — they are a common but overlooked cause of convulsions in children.
⚖️ Good to know
- Always identify the cause before treating.
- If convulsions are from poisoning — vomiting is urgently needed.
- Seek emergency care if the cause is unknown or if the person cannot be roused.
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
A convulsion (seizure) needs first aid and medical evaluation to find the cause.
Commonly offered
- First aid: protect from injury, turn on the side, don't restrain or put anything in the mouth–
- Time the seizure; call 911 if over 5 minutes or repeated–
- Finding and treating the cause (epilepsy, fever, low sugar, etc.)–
- Anti-seizure medication for diagnosed epilepsy–
Worth knowing
- A first seizure, one over 5 minutes, or one with injury/breathing trouble — call 911.
- Never put anything in the mouth of a seizing person.
- Fever convulsions in children still need evaluation.
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📜 A note from history
Kloss and Kellogg both document successful cases.
📚 Learn more
Sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.
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