For effective Self-treatment it is advisable to keep a few Homepathy remedies at home or with you when travelling. If you have a selection of remedies within easy reach, you can catch common complaints and minor illnesses in their early stages and thereby increase your chances of getting better quickly. All the remedies listed are available from most chemists or health-food shops.
The 30 Homeopathic Remedies listed here should be sufficient to treat most of the complaints listed. You can add to the kit as you become more confident and experienced.
1. Aconite (Monkshood, Aconite napallus)
… for treating colds in their early stages.
Recommended: For all acute or feverish complaints that appear suddenly and with intensity. For best results, take the remedy as soon as the symptoms appear :
- often caused by dry cold, cold wind, panic and shock
- complaints come suddenly and are extremely fierce
- fever rises rapidly and may be very high, with a hot, dry skin
- patient is extremely restless and anxious
- intense thirst for cold drinks
2. Allium cepa (Onion, Alium cepa)
… For hayfever and colds,
Recommended:
if the following symptoms arise:
- often caused by cold, wet and damp conditions
- constant sneezing and a runny nose
- nose and eyes are red and irritated
- acrid, watery nasal discharge which makes the nostrils sore, but mild tears
- itching and scraping in the throat
3. Apis (Bee, Apis mellifica)
… for stings and bites.
Recommended: For stings and bites, especially bee stings; for sore throats and cystitis, and all conditions which resemble the symptoms of a bee sting.
- burning and stinging pain
- pale red, hot swelling
- the painful area is very sensitive
- throat or bladder feel constricted
- no thirst
4. Arnica (Mountain daisy, Arnica)
… as a first aid remedy
Recommended: For all kinds of injuries, muscle ache, bleeding, flu and sleeplessness.
- shock following an injury
- bruises, contusion, strains
- muscle ache and physical exertion
- you feel sore and lame, battered and bruised
- you may feel oversensitive and not want to be touched; even the bed may feel too hard.
5. Arsenicum album (Arsenic trioxide, Arsenicum album)
… for slight food poisoning.
Recommended: For food poisoning with vomiting and diarrhoea, colds and asthmatic coughs, insomnia
- you feel cold, weak, restless and anxious
- the slightest exertion is utterly exhausting
- diarrhoea, vomiting and spastic stomach cramps
- cold with a runny nose, cough with wheezing
- burning pains
- desire for warmth and warm drinks
6. Belladonna (Deadly nightshade, Atropa Belladonna)
… acute throbbing inflammations and high fevers
Recommended: For acute inflammations, cramping and throbbing complaints and high fever.
- often brought on by cold wet weather or wet hair
- the symptoms start suddenly (often disappearing as suddenly as they came)
- high fever, red face, little thirst, moist, sweaty skin, a desire not to be uncovered
- when feverish you feel either drowsy or irritable but not anxious (as with Aconite)
- throbbing, burning, cramping pain with red, hot, inflamed areas (e.g., throat, ear)
- sensitivity to movement, light and noise
7. Bryonia (White bryony, Bryonia alba)
… for dry painful coughs.
Recommended: For dry coughs, constipation, aching joints and backache.
- often caused by anger and (financial) worries
- the slightest movement is intolerable, only total rest helps
- you feel irritable and long for peace and quiet
- very thirsty for lots of cold drinks
- stitching pains
- dry cough, which is painful in the chest and hurts the head
8. Cantharis (Spanish fly, Lytta vesicatoria)
… for bladder infections
Recommended: For cystitis, burns, scalds and sunburn.
- severe raw, burning pains
- burning, cutting pains before, during and after passing water
- urine can only be passed drop by drop and burns like fire
- constant urge to pass water
- burning or even blistering of the skin or the internal linings
- sexual organs may be painful and hypersensitive
9. Carbo vegetabilis (Charcoal, Carbo vegetabilis)
… For bloatedness, digestive problems, fainting and collapse
Recommended: intense distension of the stomach with shortness of breath and burping
- intolerance to rich or fatty foods and alcohol
- nausea, dizziness and ringing in the ears
- strong desire for air, preferably fanned air
- the body is cold (although the head may be hot)
- severe weakness and a tendency to collapse, with a bluish face or lips (lack of oxygen)
10. Chamomilla (Camomile, Matricaria Chamomilla)
… for teething children.
Recommended: For teething children, diarrhoea, colic and earache.
- unbearable pain
- very irritable, moody and easily enraged; nothing seems to satisfy them
- children want to be carried
- one cheek may be red, the other pale
- often hot, restless and thirsty
- colic pains and possibly greenish diarrhoea that looks like chopped spinach and smells of rotten eggs
11. Colocynthis (Bitter cucumber, Citrullus Colocynthis)
… for spasmodic pain that makes you bend double.
Recommended: For spasmodic pain, colic, menstrual pain and sciatica.
- often caused by anger and resentment; you feel very irritable when ill
- cramps and colic; bent double with pain
- eased by pressure (babies lie on their tummies)
- sciatica with numbness; you have to bend your leg to relieve the pain
12. Drosera (Sundew, Drosera rotundifolia)
… For dry, spasmodic coughs
Recommended:
- coughing fits that take your breath away
- deep, hoarse, barking cough
- cough with retching and vomiting
- the pain makes you clutch your chest when coughing
- talking is exhausting and painful
13. Euphrasia (Eyebright, Euphrasia officinalis)
… For eye conditions and hayfever.
Recommended:
- dry, itching eyes; eyes feel gritty
- profuse acrid tears and a runny nose with mild, bland discharge
- sensitivity to light; you have to blink constantly
- the eyes are red and you feel a burning sensation or pressure
- discharge of pus; swollen and burning eyelids
14. Ferrum phosphoricum (Iron phosphate, Ferrum phosphoricum)
… for feverish complaints.
Recommended: For fever, earache and nose bleeds (for nervous, delicate people, who blush easily). Often very effective in the early stages of an illness or inflamation with little or no significant symptoms
- middle to high fever when no other significant symptoms are apparent
- bright red nose bleeds
- palpitations with a fast and soft pulse
15. Gelsemium (Yellow Jasmine, Gelsemium sempervirens)
… for flu.
Recommended:
- For flu, fears, stage fright and nervous exhaustion.
- flu with initial chills that run up and down the spine
- head flu with a pain that rises from the back of the
- neck up to the eyes (sometimes accompanied by disturbed vision)
- you feel tired and exhausted; you cannot keep your eyes open
- physical and mental fatigue, feeling shivering and achy
- anticipatory fears, such as exams, interviews (possibly with trembling and diarrhoea)
16. Hepar sulphuris (Hahnemann’s calcium sulphide, Hepar sulphuris)
… For acne, boils and other suppurations; for sore throats, coughs and earache.
Recommended:
- extreme sensitivity to cold; all symptoms alleviated by warmth
- irritability and anger
- suppurations have a yellow-green discharge
- intense, possibly throbbing pains and stitches, alleviated by warmth
- rough, barking, rattling cough with hoarseness
17. Hypericum / cream (St. John’s wort, Hypericum perforatum)
… for injury to nerves.
Recommended: For injuries of areas rich in sensitive nerves, concussion of the spine and head; as a natural antiseptic. As a cream or tincture it speeds up the healing-process of wounds. (Tip: apply a little of the tincture to mouth ulcers and spots.)
- squashed fingers or toes
- concussion of the coccyx
- whiplash or concussion of the head
- shooting, lancing neuralgic pains
- pain after the extraction of a tooth
- puncture wounds
18. Ignatia (St. Ignatius Bean, Ignatia amara)
… for emotional upsets.
Recommended: As the main ‘grief remedy’ in homeopathy
- effects of grief, sorrow, lovesickness, the loss of a loved one, homesickness, reproach, deprivation of love
- changeable moods, laughing and sobbing
- frequent sighing and yearning
- symptoms are often contradictory, e.g., you feel as if you have a lump in your throat and/or nauseous, but eating seems to help
19. Ipecacuanha (Ipecac-root, Uragoga Ipecacuanha)
… for constant nausea.
Recommended: For coughs, nausea and vomiting.
- constant nausea that is not relieved by vomiting
- the tongue is clean and without coating
- a cough with sickness and vomiting
- spasmodic cough with fear of suffocation – children become stiff and turn blue in the face during a coughing fit
- dry cough with hoarseness, but you can often hear a rattling of phlegm that refuses to budge
20. Kali bichronicum (Bichromate of potash, Kalium bichromicum)
… for sinusitis
Recommended: For colds and sinus problems.
- thick, ropy or stringy yellow phlegm or glutinous mucus in the nose
- pressure on the root of the nose or pain in small areas of the forehead or cheekbone
- headaches, even migraine, (which may be preceded by blurred vision) from suppressed catarrh
- loss of smell, bunged up nose and sore, inflamed nostrils
- metallic cough with tough yellow phlegm
21.Ledum (Marsh tea, Ledum palustre)
… for black eyes, bites and puncture wounds.
Recommended:
- For stings and bites, puncture wounds and injuries to the eye.
- for any kind of injury where the skin is pierced: from thorns, nails, splinter, glass, etc.
- for insect stings (bee, wasp, mosquito) and bites (also ticks)
- for a black eye
- the injured area feels cold
- aggravated by warmth and movement
22. Magnesium phosphoricum (Phosphate of magnesia, Magnesium phos.)
… for pains relieved by warmth.
Recommended:
- For colic, stomach ache, menstrual pain, toothache, teething and sciatica (The most effective way to take the remedy is crushed in hot water and sipped.)
- spasmodic, shooting pains, eased by anything warm (hot-water bottle), tender pressure, rubbing, massage or bending double
- the pain comes and goes suddenly, or frequently changes places
23.Mercurius (Quicksilver, Mercurius solubilis)
… for ulcers.
Recommended: For toothache, earache, suppurations
- foul breath often with a sweetish, metallic taste in the mouth
- increased saliva production, but thirsty
- the tongue is moist, swollen and has toothmarks along the sides
- inflamed, swollen gums and mouth ulcers
- toothache at night
- chronic, foetid discharge from the ear
- sticky, smelly night sweats
24. Nux vomica (Poison nut, Nux vomica)
… for stomach upsets and hangovers.
Recommended: For digestive disorders, nausea and retching, constipation, backache, PMT, menstrual pain, earache, disturbed sleep, hangovers.
- after-effects of rich food or food that is off, an excess of alcohol, smoking, coffee, an abuse of medical and recreational drugs, stress and a lack of sleep
- nausea with retching (you cannot vomit), food lies like a stone in the stomach
- very stressed, irritable and oversensitive
25. Phosphorus (Phosphorus)
… bleeding & coughs, hoarseness
Recommended:
- bright red blood, e.g., from the nose, or after extraction of a tooth
- easily bruised
- thy, hard cough
- hoarse, or even loss of voice
- very thirsty for cold drinks
- strong burning pains
- easily exhausted, but even a little rest or sleep refreshes
- fear of being alone, of thunderstorms, ghosts an supernatural things
26. Phytolacca (Poke root, Phytolacca decandra)
… For sore throats
Recommended:
- sore throats, the throat and tonsils are dark red
- in the early stages of tonsillitis
- when you swallow, the pain extends to the ear
- the glands under the jaw and along the neck are swollen
- the tongue has a greasy yellow coating in the middle, the tip and sides are red
- feeling achy and bruised
27. Pulsatila (Wind flower, Pulsatilla pratensis)
… For colds, complaints of the ear, teeth, bladder, ‘female complaints coughs, digestive problems, grief
Recommended:
- symptoms are often caused by cold, dampness and grief
- a desire for gentle movement in the fresh air
- mucus (cold, cough, ear, etc.) is bland, thick and yellow or green
- digestive problems often caused by fatty, rich food, pork and ice-cream
- no thirst
- weepy and moody, a desire for company and sympathy
28. Rescue (Drops and cream — excellent first aid remedy)
… For shock, injuries, burns and emergencies of any kind.
Dosage and directions:
Available in most health-food shops and pharmacies, Rescue remedy is not, strictly speaking, homeopathic, but one of the Bach Flower remedies. However, it is so effective in the treatment of the above complaints that it is a good idea always to carry a bottle around with you.
Put 10 drops in half a glass of water and sip slowly (or apply 3-5 drops directly onto the lips or tongue). Apply the cream to the affected skin area as often as you need
29. Ruta (Common rue, Ruta gravolens)
… for injuries to tendons and joints.
Recommended: For injuries of the joints, tendons, ligaments, bruised bones, eye strain.
- for tennis elbow, weak joints, sore tendons, contraction of the fingers, concussion of the bones (shin)
- eye strain (computer, reading, etc.) with tired, burning eyes and neck ache
- feeling sore, stiff, bruised and weak
30. Symphytum (Comfrey, Symphytum officinale)
… For bone injuries, broken bones, injuries to the eye.
Recommended:
- It stimulates the healing of bones.
- injured bones, joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles
- injured eye or facial bones from a blow or knock
- problems with the joints following an injury
- pressure, motion and touch make you feel worse; warmth brings relief
