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20 Homeopathic Remedies That Every Home Should Not Be Without

If you are interested in trying out homeopathy for your  family, I recommend the twenty remedies listed below as an excellent start for your home remedy kit.  The 30c potency is the probably the best all-purpose potency to buy initially. You can find all of these remedies in any health food store. Many online homeopathic pharmacies also offer cost-effective starter kits. Visit the web site of the National Center for Homeopathy (NCH)— www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org—for a list of pharmacies and other homeopathic resources. By joining the NCH, you will also have online and print access to its invaluable magazine, Homeopathy Today, which includes countless articles loaded with self-treatment tips. The NCH website also includes complete information about each of these remedies in its “Remedies & Symptoms Database” (accessible to members only). The following books also provide excellent guidance as you get started in your homeopathic journey:

Self Help (How-To).

•     The Complete Homeopathy Handbook, by Miranda Castro.
•     Homeopathy: An A to Z Home Handbook, by Alan Schmukler.
•     Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines, by Stephen Cummings and Dana Ullman.

General Introduction.

•     Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy, by Amy Lansky.  Best-selling general introduction to homeopathy that includes history, philosophy, how to prepare for appointments, what to expect from treatment, scientific studies, and dozens of first-person testimonials from around the world.

For each remedy listed below, I have given brief, general indications for use.  I recommend consulting one of the Self-Help books listed above, or other articles and information provided on the NCH site, for more complete information. Also please note that any homeopathic remedy can be used in a wide array of contexts.  Thus, a useful acute remedy like Aconite can have broader constitutional use for a wide variety of diseases; or a broad constitutional remedy like Sulphur can be useful in an acute situation.  Learning a little homeopathy can go a long way and the more you study, the more skilled you will become!  However, the best homeopathic treatment is usually found under the guidance of a trained homeopath.

First Aid Remedies

(1) Arnica. Number one remedy for accidents, shock, injuries, and bruising. Patient has a fear of being touched and may say they are “all right” when they clearly are not. Other applications include pain after dental work and jet lag.

(2) Calendula. Number one remedy for healing wounds. Useful as a topical cream in low potency. Quickly seals wounds, so make sure wound is completely clean before use.

(3) Hypericum. Number one remedy for injuries to nerves. Pains are sharp and shooting. Useful for pain after dental injection.

(4) Apis. Number one remedy for bites and stings. Helps with redness, pain, and swelling.

(5) Ledum. Number one remedy for puncture wounds. Also useful for animal and insect bites. Along with Hypericum, a useful remedy for tetanus.  An important remedy for Lyme disease. Pain is better from cold application, worse from heat.

Remedies for Specific Situations and Acute Illnesses

(6) Kali-bichromicum. Number one remedy for sinus infections.

(7) Chamomilla. Number one remedy for teething.

(8) Ignatia. Number one remedy for acute grief or emotional shock.

(9) Belladonna. Number one remedy for high fever.

(10) Aconite. Number one remedy for nipping a cold in the bud, especially if onset is precipitated by a cold, dry wind, or a fright or shock.  Useful when illness comes on very suddenly.

(11) Gelsemium. Number one remedy for the flu. Extreme prostration and weakness, shivering up and down the spine, trembling, aching muscles, heaviness of head and eyes.

(12) Eupatorium. Another important flu remedy, especially if characterized by extreme aching in the bones, as if they were broken.

(13) Arsenicum Album. Number one remedy for food poisoning.  Also useful for the flu.  Patient is anxious and restless and does not want to be left alone. Fear of death. Worse between midnight and 3am.  Thirst for frequent sips of water.

Common Remedies for General Constitutional Use

In addition to the above remedies, the following commonly used remedies have frequent application to many illnesses and chronic conditions.

(14) Pulsatilla. Number one remedy for childhood ear infections.  Patients are clingy and tearful, are thirstless, feel better when outside, and tend to have thick yellow-green discharges. Can be a useful remedy for stomach upset after eating fatty foods.

(15) Nux-Vomica. Number one remedy for hangovers and overindulgence in food.  Patients tend to be ambitious, angry, tense, and irritable.  Sensitive to light and noise.  Like to be warm in bed.

(16) Natrum-Muriaticum. Number one remedy for cold sores.  Patients tend to be closed and sensitive.  Silent grief. Craves salt.

(17) Sulphur. An important remedy for itchy skin problems that are worse from warmth.  Patients tend to be warm-blooded, and like to kick the covers off in bed.  Hungry at 11am.  Loves sweet and spicy foods. Intellectual or philosophically-minded individuals.

(18) Lycopodium. The insecure bully. Anxious and lacking in self-confidence, but can be aggressive toward others. Fearful when trying to do something new. Complaints tend to be right-sided. Flatulence and bloating. Worse from 4-8pm.

(19) Lachesis. An important remedy for left-sided tonsillitis. Patients are talkative and amusing, but also suspicious and jealous.  An important woman’s remedy, especially around menopause.  Left-sided complaints. Craving for alcohol.

(20) Phosphorus. An important remedy for tickling coughs, worse from laughing and speaking.  Patients are bubbly and outgoing, but with poor boundaries. Fearful and anxious.  Fear of thunderstorms. Thirsty.

By Amy L. Lansky, PhD

(For more information about homeopathy, visit www.impossiblecure.com.)