The Remedies

A homeopathic medicine can be made from any substance. Two things define a homeopathic remedy, these are:

1. The way it is made, by potentising the source substance in a homeopathic pharmacy.

2. The way it is prescribed, to match the symptom pattern of the individual person (see 'how it works').

There are several thousand different homeopathic remedies, made from an enormous range of sources. Homeopathic remedies are usually identified by Latin names, because these are international. Each country may have its own common names for remedies. Here I use English common names.

It may be helpful to divide these sources into groups:

- Plants/vegetables

- Fungi

- Minerala

- Animal substances

- Micro-organisms

- Miscellaneous/Imponderables.

PLANT/VEGETABLE REMEDIES

Plant remedies include plants well known in traditional medicine:

Salvia = Sage; Echinacea = Coneflower; Caulophyllum = black cohosh

Poisonous plants:

Aconitum = Monkshood; Belladonna = Deadly Nightshade; Nux Vomica = Poison Nut

Flowers and Trees:

Quercus = Oak; Thuja = Arbor Vitae (conifer)

Plant-based remedies:

Honey (cf. animal remedies) Mixed pollens

Fungi:

These include

ordinary or medicinal fungi and moulds

Penicillin Mixed moulds

And poisonous or hallucinogenic species

Anhalonium = mescal Secale = a fungus of grain

MINERAL REMEDIES

These include naturally occurring elements, minerals and metals:

Alumina = aluminium Ferrum = Iron Hydrogen Limestone

Poisonous minerals:

Arsenicum = Arsenic Plumbum = Lead

Radioactive substances:

Granite Plutonium Uranium

Chemical compounds created in laboratories:

Causticum; Nitric Acid; Kali Phosphoricum = potassium phosphate; Natrum Muriaticum = Sodium Chloride (common table salt)

Crystals:

Amethyst Lapis lazuli

ANIMAL BASED REMEDIES

Remedies from animal poisons or venoms:

Bufo = toad; Lachesis = viper

Non-poisonous animal based remedies

Haliaeetus = blood sample from injured American bald eagle; Lac Felinum = cat’s milk; Oleum Jecoris = cod liver oil; Lion Hair; Deer antler velvet; Calcarea Carbonica = calcium from oyster shell; Hepar sulph. = sulphur but contains oyster shell

Entire animals or meat:

Tarentula Cubensis = a spider; Formica Rufa = an ant; Apis = bee; Pyrogen = decomposed meat; Felix Mas = tapeworm

Human sources:

Melatonin = a hormone; Dys. Co = bowel flora; Lac Humanum = breast milk; Thyroidinum = thyroid gland

MICRO-ORGANISMS & DISEASE TISSUE

Some micro-organisms are tiny animals, some are tiny plants, and some are difficult to classify. Micro-organisms include what we commonly call ‘germs’. This category includes those known to homeopaths as 'nosodes' or ‘homeopathic immunisations’ (although this term is not accurate).

Remedies using micro-organisms involved in disease, or samples taken from diseased tissue:

Leprominium = leprosy; Diphtherinum = diphtheria, Corynebacterium diphtheriae; Chlamydia = a sexually transmitted infection; Carcinosinum – cancerous tissue; Candida = thrush; Morbillinum = measles; Hippozaeninum – a disease of horses; Feline leukaemia; and modern diseases such as Covid 19.

MISCELLANEOUS/IMPONDERABLES

We use an enormous range of substances which do not fit into the above groups. These include:

Drugs and vaccines:

Salycilic Acid; Hydrocortisone; Influenza vaccine.

Electro-magnetic or other energy:

Electricity; Thunderstorm; Colours eg. red or green light; Fire; Magnetic energy

Extra-terrestrial energy sources:

Sunlight; Moonlight; Light from particular star groups eg. Pleiades.

Human-created significant things:

Berlin Wall; Mobile Phone; House dust.

Waters:

Water from many different medicinal or spiritually significant springs and wells eg. Lourdes, Glastonbury Chalice Well, The Ganges.

Some of these remedy sources may surprise you. Some may sound unpleasant or boring, ridiculous or unnatural. The principle of all homeopathic remedies is the same, whatever they are made from. Each remedy represents a particular pattern of illness. If that pattern can be matched to your own pattern of illness, it can stimulate healing. ‘Like cures like’.

The source of the remedy is not as significant as the pattern of illness it represents. If Lachesis fits your symptoms, it does not mean you have had a snake bite. If Belladonna fits your symptoms, it does not mean you have ever eaten deadly nightshade. If you are prescribed Carcinosin or Morbillinum, it does not mean you have those diseases, or that you will get them later. The symptoms found during homeopathic testing of the remedy simply match your symptoms at the moment.

Homeopathic remedies are not dangerous, even when made from substances which are dangerous in their original form, as long as they are sufficiently highly potentised. Dangerous substances should not be taken in very low potencies: your homeopathic pharmacy will advise you.

All remedies are safe when taken according to instructions from a qualified homeopath. No poisons, radiation, contaminating germs or diseased cells will be present in your prescription.

IS HOMEOPATHY VEGAN?

The majority of homeopathic remedies are vegan in origin, but there are exceptions. Also, a remedy may be vegan in origin, but prepared with lactose (sugar of milk) which is not vegan. For more details, please read below.

Vegetarian or vegan?

Every homeopathic patient has the right, moral and (in the UK) legal, to know the origin of their remedy. If you are vegetarian/vegan, you can opt not to use any of the animal-derived remedies. This may mean that you cannot receive the remedy that best matches your pattern of symptoms, but it is your right to choose, and any reputable homeopath should be able to work with you on this.

If you are vegetarian, you must decide for yourself where to draw the line. Here are some questions you might ask:

- Was any animal killed to make this remedy?

- How much of this animal product is used? For example, one sample of an animal product (eg. snake venom) may be enough to supply pharmacies with homeopathic remedies for decades or even, in some cases, 200 years.

- Does the remedy use something external? For example, fur or feathers.

Most of the animal based remedies are made without hurting or killing any animal; they use animal fur or feathers, milks, or poisons. Even some remedies made from whole animals did not cause the death of the animal: for example, Tarentula Cubensis was prepared from a spider that had already died and begun to decompose. Its life was not wasted, because this is a fantastic remedy for blood poisoning. Each case must be looked at individually, in the light of your own beliefs.

Lactose in Remedy Preparation

In the first stages of preparing a homeopathic remedy, before it becomes a pill, some substances are initially diluted with vegetable alcohol (ethanol). This includes most plant remedies and easily soluble substances.

Preparation of less soluble substances, such as minerals, begins with trituration. This means grinding in a pestle and mortar with lactose (milk sugar). This reduces particle size, so that after a while they become soluble, or colloidal, and the preparation then continues with dilution in alcohol.

The trituration method is also used with a few plant remedies eg. Lycopodium; with some snake venoms; with a few liquid substances eg. Petroleum. If you want only vegan remedies, consider this part of the preparation, and if necessary ask for remedies that have not involved the use of lactose at any stage. I am not aware of any homeopathic pharmacy that is entirely vegan in its methods - all will be using animal products and lactose for some remedies.

Sucrose or Lactose Pills

Remedies are commonly available in the following forms:

Flat tablets based on sucrose and lactose (milk sugar); dissolve rather slowly. Suitable for infants if dissolved in water, but hard to dissolve.

Round pillules based on sucrose (plant sugar); dissolve quicker, and suitable for infants if dissolved in water.

Soft tablets (trituration tablets) based on lactose. Dissolve very quickly, suitable for infants.

Liquid remedies such as tinctures and LM potencies are based on alcohol, as a preservative. Suitable for infants when diluted. Alcohol can be removed by putting the remedy in a little hot water.

Granules, tiny round grains based on sucrose. Suitable for infants.

Powders, usually lactose. Suitable for infants.

Creams (easily absorbed) and ointments (more oily) may contain lanolin or beeswax, and may contain chemical additives. Some so-called homeopathic creams are actually herbal.

Lactose Intolerance

Suitable forms without lactose in the end product include round pillules, granules, and liquid remedies. However, even with solid lactose forms, amounts of lactose are tiny, and this may not be a problem, especially with infrequent doses.

Produced by Helen Swan RSHom 2019