GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR TAKING HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES
The homeopathic remedies are the finest preparations available.In order to experience optimal results, please follow the instructions carefully.
1. Do not touch the remedies with your hands. Open the container and put 4 tablets (adults)or 2 tablets (children)in the cap and drop under the tongue.
2. Hold the remedies in your mouth for two minutes, or until dissolved. This will allow absorption to take place through the membranes in the oral cavity.
3. Take all homeopathics at least 20 to 30 minutes before or after eating. This will give them a chance to be fully absorbed. Wait 15 minutes before drinking water.
4. If you have more than one bottle of any particular homeopathic remedy, please be sure to take the lowest potency first.
5. The odor of garlic, onions, and peppermint has a neutralizing effect on homeopathics. Please refrain from these items for at least 30 minutes before or after taking the remedies. These items need not be eliminated from your diet, however.
6. Avoid using products containing camphor, such as Vicks VapoRub, Ben Gay, Camphophenique, and Mentholatum. Camphor also has a neutralizing effect on homeopathics.
7. Wait at least 30 minutes before or after brushing teeth before taking a remedy.A non-mint toothpaste or Homeodent is preferable.
8. Avoid coffee, tea, or any soft drinks with caffeine. Caffeine has been shown to have a neutralizing effect on homeopathics. Try a coffee substitute or herbal tea.
9. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day while taking remedies.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS
1. Store your remedies in a cool place away from sunlight. They mustn’t be exposed to heat. Room temperature is okay. Refrigeration is not necessary.
2. Store away from strong odors such as camphor.
3. Remedies must remain a minimum of five feet away from television sets, microwave ovens. magnets and electrical outlets.
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE 29 MOST COMMONLY USED
ACONITE:
Early stages of inflammation or fever.Aconite should be considered in the early stages of an earache, sore throat, urinary tract infection, or any illness that is marked by violent onset and the general symptoms of the remedy. These are: ANXIETY, FEAR. Restlessness. Person is mentally hyper-alert and panicky, very thirsty. High fevers, flushed face that alternates with paleness, or one cheek pale and the other red. Extreme thirst for cold water. An illness that comes on shortly after exposure to cold wind or getting wet. Asthma attacks. Symptoms come on suddenly, violently and intensely. Give immediately after the shock of injury or surgery. After effects of a fearful event. Panic attacks. Restless sleep, wakes thinking they will die. Acute panicky fear and anguished restlessness.
ALLIUM CEPA:
Made from the red onion. Beginning cold – looks like peeling onions – harsh sneezing. watery eyes -clear burning nasal discharge that irritates the nostrils and upper lip. Profuse non-irritative tearing of the eyes, although the eyes may be red and burn. A person is more comfortable in a cool room, indoors, and in the evening. Better in the open air. May have frequent HARSH sneezing. Laryngitis, tickling in larynx with dry painful cough, may grasp the throat while coughing. Raw feeling. Raw sensation extends to the chest. Thirsty.
ANTIMONIUM TART:
Rattling cough with a chest full of mucous. Bronchitis, asthma, wheezing cough, mucous in the chest as if the person were drowning. Usually given in the later stages of a progressively worsening cough. Pale, cold sweat. Tired, looks sick. A person is unable to cough strongly enough to raise the mucus from their chest. Natural expectorant.
APIS MELLIFICA:
Insect bites. BEE STINGS.Jellyfish stings. Styes, hives, and other rosy, red spots with stinging pains. Stinging pains are relieved by cold. Styes look like a red bag of water. Swellings have a puffy, water-filled appearance. Allergic reactions. Any acute inflammation may call for Apis if there is much stinging, burning, marked redness, and swelling. The inflamed part is sensitive to any form of heat. Worse with heat, better with cold application. With an allergy to bee stings, use a higher potency. Also indicated for sore throats and conjunctivitis. Sore throat is very red and swollen, worse with warm drinks, better with cold. A person is usually not thirsty but may crave milk.
·ARNICA MONTANA:
Arnica is one of the two most frequently used remedies in this country (the other is Natrum Mur). With any injury, Arnica should be the first remedy given. It is very effective in treating the initial reactions to the trauma, both local and general. Bruising, swelling, and tenderness of the injured area, along with a dazed mental state, are the characteristic symptoms. Arnica relieves pain, reduces swelling, and speeds healing of injuries. Bruises. The person feels BRUISED AND SORE. Injury, sports injury. For head injuries, give Arnica first, follow later with NATRUM SULPH. Give before and after surgery or dental work. After childbirth, to mother and baby. Give Arnica anytime blood leaves a vessel. Can be used for shock of injuries. Use arnica oil on shin splints. Do not use arnica lotions or oils externally on open wounds.
Problems from overuse of muscles, for example, laryngitis from talking or singing too much. Arnica can also be used for flues if the person FEELS bruised and sore.
ARSENICUM ALBUM:
The general symptoms of Arsenicum include : restlessness, fear, severe weakness, and exhaustion. intense chilliness, burning pains, all symptoms worse at night, especially between 12 am and 2 am. Difficulty sleeping because of restlessness, and symptoms are worse at night. May fear their illness is deadly.May be upset that their house is a mess because they’ve been sick. May be thirsty for frequent sips, may crave warm or cold drinks, including milk. Feels very cold despite burning pains, Stomach upsets – vomiting, diarrhea, food poisoning, and “tourista”. Take prophylactically after eating bad food. Asthma. Flu. Hay-fever. BURNING PAINS, especially eyes, throat, and stomach.Colds with restlessness and restless sleep, worse after midnight. Key remedy for postnasal drip cough (also Hepar Sulph). Burning sore throat relieved by warm drinks.
BELLADONNA:
Symptoms come on fast like Aconite, but with Belladonna, they are brutal, with a Sudden onset. Person is FLUSHED, HOT, AND RESTLESS. Skin is bright red and dry.REDNESS. Eyes are glassy and glaring, pupils are dilated. A person looks feverish, dull, or as if in a stupor. Generally used for early stages of inflammation, sore throat, dry cough, headache, and earache, characterized by high fever and severe pain. With a fever person may be delirious, confused, and less aware of surroundings. Intense heat, throbbing, swelling. Fingers retain heat after touching skin. Dry heat. Symptoms come and go rapidly. Mastitis with redness and heat. Painful menstrual cramps. Primarily a right-sided remedy. Infection Remedy. Dry cough, worse lying down, better with head semi-erect. Colds with sleeplessness and restlessness. GRINDING OF TEETH, especially at night.
BRYONLA:
The GRUMPY BEAR. Very irritable and easily angered, resents being questioned, and prefers to be left alone. Better lying still, worse with movement. Very thirsty. Flu, headaches (especially SINUS HEADACHES)-even moving the eyes may be intolerable. All symptoms are worse with any movement. A deep breath may bring on a coughing spell along with sharp chest pain. A person wants to lie completely still. Symptoms may be better with firm pressure on the painful part and by lying on the painful side. Eating aggravates headaches, cough, and abdominal pain. General muscular soreness, worse during motion, commonly accompanies colds and flu. A person feels better in cool or open air and with cool applications. It is worse in heat, warm rooms, and in summer. bronchitis, mastitis. Dry lips, mouth, tongue, throat. Stools are hard, dry, burnt-looking, and difficult to expel.
CALCERA PHOS:
Aids in the healing of bones, fractures (where bones do not unite or are slow to do so), teething. Beneficial effects on tonsils, swollen neck glands, and children’s headaches.Pains in joints and bones,”growing pains. ”Anemia Effects of prolonged breastfeeding and poor nutrition. Delayed or difficult teething in children, rapid decay of teeth. Delayed closure of fontanelles at the top of the child’s head. Craving for ham, bacon, smoked, or salted meats. Promotes milk flow in breastfeeding mothers when other symptoms agree. Frequent colds during winter.
CANTHARIS:
Frequent painful urination, burning pain. Intolerable constant urge to urinate. Use at the onset of urinary symptoms. BURNS AND SCALDS, with rawness and smarting, relieved by cold applications. Cantharis aids healing and takes away the burning sensation. Bad effects of drinking coffee. Sunburn. Useful during labor or after surgery if unable to urinate. Burning pain after exposure to acids. Symptoms are worse from drinking coffee and cold water, touch, and urination.
CARBO VEG:
The Great Reviver. COLLAPSE. Sudden collapse from any cause. Chilliness. Low vitality. Weakness after an illness. Gas pains. All foods disagree, turn to gas, especially fats. Gas is worse lying down. Burning in the stomach with sour belching, flatulence, and regurgitation of food, heartburn. Indigestion and sleeplessness due to indigestion (also Nux Vomica).
CHAMOMILLA:
Chamomilla is probably the most irritable among the homeopathic remedy types. Used most often in children. Nothing pleases the Chamomilla child, and everything seems to irritate.
He/she cries for something, then, when it is given, refuses it. TEETHING PAIN. Very cranky and irritable. WILD WITH PAIN. Oversensitive to pain. The child wants to be carried. The only thing that will calm a Chamomilla child is to be carried and rocked. May fall asleep from being rocked, but then wake again when rocking is stopped. CRAMPS AND COLIC. One cheek red, the other pale. Pain of EARACHES. For the parent of a Chamomilla child, give Aconite.
FERRUM PHOS:
Early stages of head colds, earaches, coughs, bronchitis, and inflammations. Symptoms are similar to those of Aconite and Belladonna, but they do not come on as rapidly or as violently. Ferrum Phos is used when there are not clear distinguishing symptoms to indicate another remedy. The person needing Ferrum Phos for a fever is flushed and hot, there is a well-defined, circular redness on the cheeks (Belladonna had the entire face flushed). Illness may come on after overexertion, and there may be a tendency to bleed easily. Bright red blood may come from the nose or gums at the onset of an illness with fever, or a dry cough may bring up blood-tinged mucous. Chief remedy for ANEMIA. Inflammation. If you don’t know which remedy to give. Start giving Ferrum Phos until you do. Promotes healing by increasing the oxygen supply to the blood. Can be given alternately with any other remedy.
GELSEMIUM:
Drowsiness and mental and physical weakness are the distinguishing symptoms. Mental apathy. Dull, listless, heavy-lidded. Body feels tired and heavy, especially the extremities. Aching and chills. FLU-achy all over, stiffness of neck and upper back, headache starting in the neck and back of the head. May feel chills running up and down the back. Head colds. Not thirsty. TENSION HEADACHES – band feeling around the head. Feels better after urinating and perspiring. Complaints brought on by anticipatory anxiety or fear. Shock of bad news. Stage fright, nervousness before an exam.
HEPAR SULPH:
General symptoms include physical hypersensitivity and mental irritability. The person is impatient, cross and easily angered. May have sudden violent impulses. The person is very sensitive to touch, cold and pain. There is commonly an offensive or sour smell. Discharges are of a profuse and thick, yellow or cheesy character. The infected part is extremely tender to touch, the slightest pressure causing sharp pain. The person needing Hepar Sulph is so sensitive to cold that even a hand or foot sticking out of the covers will bring on symptoms. Localized inflammation(as in bringing a boil to a head).Suppuration with pricking pain. Head colds, sore throat (as if a splinter caught in throat, worse swallowing), laryngitis. POST NASAL DRIP COUGH (also Arsenicum). CROUP(also Spongia). Pickles, vinegar, sour foods, spices, and strong-tasting foods are loved. May dislike fats. Thirst is increased during illness. Hepar is worse in dry weather, at night, and when uncovered. It is better with warm, moist air, HOT applications,
HYPERICUM:
Heals injured parts rich in nerve endings(fingertips). Smashed fingers and toes. Use for deep or painful cuts, hypersensitive to touch. Wound pain. Injuries with SHOOTING pains, Hypericum lessens pain and speeds healing. Before and after Surgery and Dental work. Coccyx injury and pain from a fall, pain radiates up the spine and down the extremities. Quite supersedes the use of Morphine after operations.”
IGNATLA:
The GRIEF remedy. Disappointment, anger, very emotional, a person sighs. Conditions that are preceded by grief, fear, anger, embarrassment or scolding. Sensitive to coffee and cigarette smoke. MIGRAINES. Headache as if a nail were driven out through the side. Congestive headaches following anger or grief, worse with smoking or smelling tobacco. SLEEPLESSNESS, inability to sleep due to emotional upset, a feeling of a lump in the throat that cannot be swallowed. Complaints that come on after grief. Contradictory symptoms: Nausea better from eating, increased hunger from eating, simple fruits cause indigestion, heavier foods agree, may want to be uncovered when cold, or thirst-less during a fever.
IPECAC:
PERSISTENT NAUSEA AND VOMITING, Nausea with persistent vomiting that does not relieve the nausea. Tongue is clean and pale. All complaints are accompanied by nausea, and often shuddering, yawning, and malaise. Nosebleeds, bleeding with nausea. Asthma. Cough is incessant and violent with every breath.
LEDUM PAL:
PUNCTURE WOUNDS. Stings, animal bites. Alternate with Hypericum for puncture wounds. Eye injuries, especially black eyes or bruising around the eye. Easily sprained ankles. Ledum is an important remedy for injuries caused by sharp pointed instruments and for Stings and Bites, especially when these are followed by great sensitivity to touch and relief from cold. Wounds that feel cold and are relieved by cold (always give Ledum for Puncture Wounds, even if this symptom is not present). Aids in the elimination of Splinters. Helpful after Arnica in wounds where there is a delay in the absorption of blood that has flowed into the tissue area.
MAG PHOS:
The homeopathic ASPIRIN. Spasmodic pain, relieved by pressure and warmth. Leg cramps. colic, writer’s cramps, menstrual cramps. Colic pains that cause a person to double over.
Pains are violent, shoot like lightning, cramping, boring, maddening, and prostrating. They may be so severe as to cause retching. Neuralgic pains. Pain may come on after overuse or prolonged use of particular muscles or occupational cramps. Symptoms tend to be right-sided and occur periodically.
MERCURIUS VTVICUS:
General symptoms include heavy perspiration that may make a person feel worse; foul-smelling perspiration, breath and body; salivation, which may wet the pillow; all symptoms are worse after sunset. Acute conditions with marked inflammation of the skin and mucous membranes, along with pus formation. Yellow discharges. Eye infections are discharging thick pus. Tonsillitis. Sore throats with much pain, pus formation, and open sores; stitches in the ear on swallowing, and swollen neck glands. Aphthous ulcers in the mouth, especially in children. Abscessed ears. Boils. Gum disease and bleeding. Swollen tongue, indentation of teeth on the sides. Salivation and drooling. Thirsty for cold drinks. Person smells sick, bad odor from the mouth. Sensitive to temperature changes. Persons needing Mercury are made worse by most environmental influences and are comfortable over a narrow range of conditions
NUX VOMICA:
Hangover remedy. Early pregnancy nausea. The STOP AND GO remedy. Wants to but can’t: urination, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting. Indigestion from excesses in food, coffee, and alcohol. Indigestion, heartburn, nausea, fullness and bloating, gas, constipation, and diarrhea may be present in any combination. Sleeplessness from indigestion. QVER-WORKED BUSiNESS PERSON, irritable, quick-tempered persons who get sick from overeating, indulging in drugs or alcohol, or from too much mental work. Very demanding, impatient, and averse to questioning. These indicators will confirm Nux Vomica for use in an acute condition. Difficulty sleeping due to an overactive mind or sensitivity to noise. May wake at 3 am, unable to get back to sleep until 4 am or 5 am, and feel unrefreshed in the morning. Irritable upon waking from sleep or a nap. Head colds with sneezing, clear mucous (also Nat mur, but mucous is like egg white). Nose stuffy at night, runs during the day. Fevers are accompanied by severe chills, can’t get warm.
PHOSPHORUS:
Laryngitis, chest colds, and pneumonia. Colds that start in the head and tend to attack the throat and involve the chest. The throat is very sensitive to touch and cold air, and feels dry or velvety. Hoarseness or loss of voice are common, constant desire to clear the throat. Coughs are hard and dry from a persistent tickle, worse from first lying down at night, if lying on the left side. Cough may improve while propped up with heat inclined backward. Sense of weight on chest
or tightness, relieved by heat. Hemorrhages -bleeding gums, frequent nosebleeds, profuse and prolonged menstrual periods with BRIGHT RED BLOOD. Give before surgery to help prevent nausea and bleeding complications. Postoperative vomiting. Vomiting after drinking becomes warm in the stomach. Phosphorus loves ice and ice-cold drinks, also ice cream.
PULSATILLA:
Ripe head colds with creamy or yellow-green mucous. Better in the open air. Not thirsty or hungry. Whiny, irritable, child wants to be held or carried -feels better then. No.1 remedy for children’s earaches. Ears feel “stuffed up”.Heat, redness, swelling, and throbbing pain, especially right side. Can give 30x once per day during a head cold if the child is prone to ear infections. Conjunctivitis- thick yellow discharge with sticking of lids in the morning. Burning and itching of the eyes with a constant desire to rub them. Styes on the lower lids. Yeast infections with creamy discharge. Changeable moods and symptoms. Diminished sphincter control resulting in a leaky bladder.especially when coughing or sneezing. Bladder symptoms during pregnancy.
RHUS TOX:
“The Creaky Gate.” Arthritis is better with heat and movement. Worse after sitting for a while.
Sprains or strains of joints, muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Blistering, itching, burning, and swelling of skin. Such as poison oak/ ivy, hives. Number one remedy for CHICKEN POX: Itching is intense, especially after scratching, at night, and from the warmth of the bed. Allergic reactions to medications produce blistering red bumps with itching. Flu with achy pains is better with heat and motion. Thirsty for cold drinks(which may aggravate)or milk. The person is restless and anxious, not comfortable unless moving about. Tosses and turns in bed, difficult sleep, Hoarseness on attempting to sing, repeated attempts result in improvement. TMJ, cracking in the jaw while chewing. Ulcers in the corners of the mouth.
RUTA GRAVEOLENS:
Shinbone injury and sprains. Lower back pain. relieved by lying on the back. Sciatic pain associated with a desire to walk up and down for relief, the pain is worse when sitting or lying. Muscle tenderness or tenderness at the point of tendon insertion into the periosteum. This often is a result of repeated occupational strain rather than of a single injury (ex, tennis elbow). Painful wrists, knuckles, knees, and ankles with or without associated swelling. Joints feel weak, and knees tend to give on when rising from sitting or while going up and down steps. Muscle strain. Ligament pain. CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME. Use for bruises and injuries if Amnica fails.
SPONGLA;
Wheezing cough. Cough is constant, croupy, worse before midnight, and on inspiration. Cough feels and sounds deep. The child goes to sleep with a little cough, wakes later with heat, anxiety, and coughing. CROUP. Asthma. Wakes from sleep with a feeling of suffocation, anxious and fearful. Chest feels hot to the touch. Worse before midnight. Better lying with head low. Anxiety and difficulty breathing. Awakens in fright and feels as if suffocating. Larynx dry, burns. Voice hoarse with throat constricted. Stuffy cold with dry mucous membranes. Thirsty and hungry. Swollen glands. Sore throat -dry tickling causes a constant cough, clear their throat. Worse after eating sweets, the cough also worsens after eating sweets.
SULPHUR:
Used most often in chronic diseases. SKIN PROBLEMS. Dry, itchy skin is worse with water, bathing. Head is hot, feet are hot, and must stick out from covers at night. RED orifices. Diarrhea that drives a person out of bed in the morning, giving to a clear cold or injuries that are slow to resolve. BURNING PAINS. A person may be unkempt, messy. Always start with a 6x or 12x when giving Sulfur.
VERATRUM ALBUM:
Simultaneous diarrhea and vomiting. The person is in a cold sweat, feels faint. TOURISTA. Face is pale, bluish, and cold. Postoperative shock. Cold perspiration on the forehead. Vomiting. diarrhea and cramps in the extremities. Painful menstrual cramps.