To take a homeopathic remedy, pour the pills into the cap and count out the number without touching them, if possible. The concern here is that perfumed hand soap or another strong odor may be present on your hands and could antidote the remedy. Holding remedies in one’s hand can release their ability, so if the remedy is intended for you, then holding it could be of value.
If a pill falls on the floor, do not return it to the bottle. Instead, discard it or use it immediately if the floor is clean enough. After the number of pills has been counted, simply drop them directly from the cap into your mouth and let them dissolve.
I urge my students not to give an entire bottle of a remedy away when someone else is in need. Our remedies are precious and are often needed just after lending the bottle to someone. Instead, put the needed dose in a clean envelope and label it. It will last for some time in paper, but not indefinitely. Glass is the only sure way to store for long periods of time.
Don’t transfer remedies into bottles that have held other remedies unless you boil the bottle for at least ten minutes.
When opening a homeopathic remedy bottle, be aware of strong odors that may affect the value of the contents. A room that has been freshly painted with strong smelling paint or one that’s just been scrubbed with Spic and Span can cause antidoting. Antidoting a remedy means that it is rendered useless. The worst offenders of antidoting are the following essential oils: mint, camphor, eucalyptus, tiger balm, and tea tree oil. These substances will antidote not only a bottle of a remedy, but also the action of the remedy after taken. Take care not to use them after ingestion of a remedy.
Recent years have seen a profound shift in thinking about health and medicine. The public is clamoring for medicine that makes sense. Intelligent people are asking, “If orthodox medicine is really effective, why are antibiotics, the mainstay of conventional medicine, now considered so dangerous?” And, “Why are classrooms filled with asthmatics and ADD children, when, only a generation ago they were rare?” Arising from such concerns is a trend toward a more holistic viewpoint.
The underlying concept in holism is that we are each an integrated whole; we are not fragmented into separate parts falling into different specific illnesses or diagnostic categories.
Homeopathy views the person as a whole. This combines their mental state including prevailing thoughts, their emotions such as moods, their physicals such as headaches, and their generals such as their temperature. Success in terms of health must include all these areas or else freedom from ill health will not be achieved.
Whether we realize it or not, our ill health is closely related to the ideas we have and the emotions we experience. These are all symptoms that need to be observed and used to determine the correct remedy. In most cases, the cure will not follow unless we adhere to this fundamental rule of classical homeopathy.
Homeopathic remedies are substances that have been highly diluted. These extreme dilutions of the original substance make for “infra-toxic”doses, which means the remedy is stripped of its toxicity due to the potentization. What remains is the curative action.
Homeopathy is legal and official in the United States and has been regulated by the Food and Drug Administration since the early 1940’s. The remedies are strictly prepared according to the standards of the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS). All pharmacies throughout the US and the world prepare their homeopathic remedies in the same strict manner.
Many homeopathic pharmacies make different sizes and densities of their pills. Some are made in milk sugar (lactose) tablets and others are made of cane sugar (sucrose). Generally lactose tablets are softer so they dissolve more easily; hence they are easier to administer to infants and animals. Sucrose pellets take a little longer to dissolve in the mouth or water, and are smaller. They come in a variety of sizes. In determining the dosage, follow the directions on the bottle. For a child, cut back by 1-2 pellets, for an infant cut back by ½. So, if the dosage for an adult is 4 pills a small child would receive 3 pills and an infant 2 pills. Keep in mind that if an infant were given 4 pills it would do no harm. The only reason to give less is for the sake of frugality. Lactose tablets that are the size of poppy seeds are most often manufactured by Hahnemann Pharmacy, which does not suggest a number to be administered on their label. Instead they suggest that the entire contents be administered as one dose. This is not necessary. Instead, being careful not to drop any pellets, pour some of the contents into the bottom of the cap and line it with the tiny pellets. It will count out approximately twenty pills. This will equal one dose for an adult. For a child or infant, use ¾ of that amount. Having said this, I might also add that if the mouth is clean (without food), the number of pills is not really important since homeopathy is energy medicine. It is not subject to material laws.
Most people have no problems taking lactose or sucrose pills, even if they are lactose intolerant. There are rare instances however, in which even the minutest amount of milk sugar can cause reactions. This reaction can often be removed by a professional homeopath through constitutional care. Until that time, remedies can be obtained directly from a homeopathic pharmacy in alcohol form.
The aqueous solution method is another option for dispensing to those who are ultra-sensitive or when treating large numbers of people. The aqueous method was used by Samuel Hahnemann and homeopathic doctors in hospitals. It entails placing one dose of a remedy in a clean glass of 2 oz of purified water and allowing it to dissolve. After stirring gently one time, one teaspoon becomes one dose. This dilutes the process one more time and greatly minimizes the amount of milk sugar. It is also a frugal method of dispensing and one that can be utilized in an epidemic setting.
For treating ailments that come on from time to time, it is prudent to keep remedies available at home or with you on vacations. It can be most frustrating when you finally decide on a remedy to find you don't own it. Sometimes it takes the beginner trying a few different remedies to get the right one. Even an expert doesn’t always get the correct remedy the first time. Purchasing a kit in a 3oth potency (30C or 30X) is an affordable way to begin. Kits come with remedies at a fraction of the cost of what you would pay if you were to purchase the remedies individually. Here is a list of the top 31 remedies.
Aconitum napellus Acon
Allium cepa All-c
Antimonium tartaricum Ant-t
Apis mellifica Apis
Arnica montana Arn
Arsenicum album Ars
Belladonna Bell
Bryonia alba Bry
Calcarea phosphorica Calc phos
Cantharis Canth
Carbo vegetabilis Carb veg
Chamomilla Cham
Ferrum phosphoricum Ferr phos
Gelsemium sempervirens Gels
Hepar sulphuris calcareum Hep
Hypericum perforatum Hyp
Ignatia amara Ign
Ipecacuanha Ip
Ledum palustre Led
Magnesia phosphorica Mag phos
Mercurius vivus Merc
Nux vomica Nux-v
Oscillococcinum Oscill
Phosphorus Phos
Podophyllum Podo
Pulsatilla Puls
Rhus tox Rhus-t
Ruta graveolens Ruta
Spongia tosta Spong
Sulphur Sul
Veratrum album Verat
The use of Latin names in homeopathy is used because Latin represents the universal language and was used by scholars in Samuel Hahnemann’s day. It allows for no mistaken identity from language to language and country to country. Since homeopathic preparation is a precise science, not a folk medicine, common names which vary regionally, are not utilized.
Gastro-intestinal disorders can sometimes be relieved by simple kitchen cupboard methods.
Indigestion, for example, can be quickly eliminated with a teaspoon or more of baking soda in 4 ounces of water to which the juice of 1/2 lemon is added.
Often raw vinegar can be the catalyst for relief when a splash of it is added to 4 ounces of water.
When using homeopathics it is useful to know that the remedy doesn’t have to be digested to be effective; it just needs to be dissolved in the mouth.
Three Leading Remedies for Gastro-Intestinal Complaints
1.) Arsenicum album
2.) Nux vomica
3.) Sulphur
Other Remedies to Learn and Consider for Further Study:
1.) Veratrum album
2.) Aloe
3.) China
4.) Phosphorus
5.) Pulsatilla
6.) Ipecac
7.) Bryonia
8.) Podophyllum – this remedy is not commonly found in remedy kits and is of immeasurable value during a bout of severe diarrhea. It would be prudent to purchase it separately to keep in your stock.