Introduction

Homeopathy is a safe, gentle and effective manner of treating a variety of minor illnesses in children and adults. The advantage of homeopathic remedies is that it generally has no unpleasant and long-term side effects unless the remedy is taken too long or if it is taken when it is not needed. Homeopathy is generally not used prophylactically, however, there have been occasions when it was used as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of malaria, cholera, bubonic plague, chicken pox, diphtheria, German Measles, measles and mumps.

Homeopathic remedies are easy to take, and children usually have no problem with them as they taste like sugar. They generally have no side effects. It is not how much of the remedy that is taken that is the issue; it is how often it is taken. Patients are cautioned against taking a remedy over an extended period of time since taking a remedy too often may aggravate the condition it was originally intended to cure.

The general rule is: stop taking the remedy if you are feeling better, do not finish the whole bottle!

Strong coffee is usually an antidote to remedies.

A dose is usually two or three pills, tipped into the lid of the bottle or vial and then placed under the tongue. The pills should be allowed to dissolve slowly in the mouth and never handled or touched directly. Remedies should be stored in a cool, dry place away from light, electrical equipment and strong odors.

Remedies should be taken twenty minutes before or after a meal, and then the patient should refrain from eating or drinking anything (except water) for twenty minutes afterwards. Do not brush your teeth immediately after taking a remedy, and avoid using substances such as camphor, menthol, peppermint, Tea Tree oil, antiseptics, antibiotics and caffeinated beverages, including sodas.

The nature of the illness will dictate the frequency of repetition. In a serious case, such as a high fever in a child, a low potency (6 X) of Belladonna may be given every half an hour for a few doses, and as the severity of the illness subsides, so do the doses. Cease medication if no improvement has occurred after two or three doses, and select another that suits the symptoms more closely. This booklet aims to teach you a bit about remedy selection.

THE FIRST AID KIT

The following remedies are ones that are generally indispensable if you are going to be using homeopathy at home. This is not a comprehensive list: it is merely to start you off with the basics. Some homeopathic pharmacies sell household kits, and if you can afford one, do go ahead and buy one. I have had mine for at least twenty years. The remedies do not “expire” provided they are kept in a suitable place and not exposed to sunlight, heat and electronic equipment.

  THE REMEDIES

Aconite: a remedy for acute situations that appear suddenly, usually after exposure to a cold wind. Sore throat, fever, croup. Also for fear, and anxiety. It is taken before Belladonna in the case of fever. It  antidotes Belladonna.

Apis: Swelling after insect bites and stings. Headaches, sties.

Arnica: an absolute “must have” remedy!! It is invaluable for accidents around the house, bumps and bruises, after falling. Reduces shock, pain and bruising. Used after tooth extractions, give a dose before and one after the visit to the dentist. Violent, spasmodic cough.

Arsenicum Alb: wonderful remedy for diarrhea, especially after eating fruit. Burning, red eyes. Sneezing with  thin, watery discharge. Complaints that come on at the seaside.

Belladonna: Great children’s remedy. Fever with redness, throbbing and burning sensations. Eyes glazed and red. Can be used alternately with Gelsemium, in headaches. The skin feels dry and hot, swollen and sensitive. Headache, earache and sore throat.

Bryonia: Constipation with stool that is too dry and large. Bursting, splitting frontal headache, usually involves frontal sinuses. Bleeding nose when menses should appear. Menstrual irregularities with gastric symptoms. Hoarseness, with dry cough at night. Cough is worse going into a warm room. Croup-like cough. These types often have very greasy hair.Rheumatism in the knees.

Cantharis: Bladder irritations, with a constant urging to urinate. Violent, cutting pains in the renal area, before, during and after urinating.

Chamomilla: Teething infants who are impatient and irritable. Earache, ears feel stopped up, flatulent colic, distended abdomen, rattling mucus in child’s chest.

Carbo Veg: For sluggish people who don’t want to move much. Pimples on forehead and face. Daily nosebleeds with a pale face. Flatulent colic. Beginning of whooping cough, with hoarseness worse in the evenings. They feel cold from the knees down. Wheezing and rattling in the chest. The stomach feels heavy, full, with nausea in the morning.

Crotalus:  Low septic states, more right sided than left. Pustular eruptions, insect stings, septicemia, boils and carbuncles, eruptions surrounded by mottled, purple skin.

 Echinacea: Septic conditions generally. Blood poisoning. Piles. Snake bites. Ulcerated sore throat. (Take 6 X potency) Irritation from insect bites.

Gelsemium: influenza (can be used alternately with Belladonna). Dizziness, drowsiness, depression from too much sun and heat. Headache that is dull and heavy. Sneezing, with a sensation of fullness at the root of the nose. Acute coryza. (Runny nose) The face is hot, heavy and flushed and the pain extends from the throat to the ear. Acute bronchitis. Chilled fever up and down the back.

Hepar Sulph: Infected sinuses, neuralgia on the right side of the face; acute infection of the throat and tonsils; infected sores, abscesses and bloody ulcers. These symptoms usually appear after violent anger. The person who needs this remedy is often very hasty when eating and speaking

Hypericum: This is a wonderful remedy for injury to the nerves, especially the fingertips, toes and nails, for crushed fingers, especially the tips. Relieves pain after operations; puncture wounds; injured nerves from bites of animals; pain in the tailbone, from and injury where the pain is radiating up and down the spine. You may know this remedy as “St. John’s’ Wort”. In its homeopathic form it has many uses!

Ledum: Scorpion bites, bee stings, puncture wounds produced by sharp instruments.

Kali Bichromicum: stringy, sticky discharges; croupy cough with stringy mucus. Nasal catarrh, pains in the sinuses and dry throat. Pain in the chest, which feels sore and bruises, hoarse voice.

Natrum Muriaticum (Nat Mur): For people who catch cold easily and have discharges like egg white. Backache with sore bruised feeling in the lower back; cold sores on the lips and around the mouth; dry hacking, irritating cough; sore throat with sensation of lump in the throat

Nux Vomica: common cold with watery eyes, burning nasal catarrh. Nose runs during the day and is blocked at night; constipation that alternates with diarrhea; cough which is dry, distressing, hacking, suffocative, tickling; in violent fits. Nux types like spicy food and they have hot tempers!

Oscillococcinum: Excellent remedies for flu…take it at the onset of the flu when the very first symptoms appear.

Petroleum: Used for motion sickness; antidotes the ill effects of inhaling gas (petroleum) fumes.

Podophyllum: An excellent remedy for infant diarrhea caused by teething. Smelly stools, distended stomach and colic.

Phytolacca: Excellent glandular remedy. Used for mumps. Sore throat with pains, which shoot into the ear.

Pulsatilla: Suitable for gentle, timid people. Girls who have difficulty with their first period. Fever, chilliness but burning heat at night. Digestive upsets from too much rich food. Profuse discharges from the eyes; styes. Absence of thirst with most complaints.

Rhus Tox:  Complaints from getting wet; change of weather to cold or damp Worse on beginning to move; swimming in cold water. Sore throat on the left side. Hot, painful swelling of joints; rheumatic pains; sciatica; pain tearing down the thighs. Remedy for intense itching; hives.

Ruta: Complaints from straining tendons, over-strain of muscles; limbs feel bruised and painful; sprains after Arnica; eyes red, hot, painful; constant urging to urinate. Backache, which feels better with pressure and for lying on the back. Thinking produces headaches and sleepiness. Joint pain with lameness. Tennis elbow

Silica: They are extremely chilly people and always feel better for wrapping up warmly; they develop complaints from getting their feet wet.  They are shy and may lack self-confidence. Abscesses; athlete’s foot with cracks between the toes; with profuse, smelly sweat on the feet; when a cold settles in the throat; Parotid and neck glands swollen; diarrhea in teething children. Earache where the ear feels itchy inside. Broken bones that are slow to heal.

Urtica: Violent itching; burning and stinging; bits and stings; breastfeeding problems, this remedy helps the new mother to establish a good supply of milk in the early days of feeding. Minor burns where the pains are burning and stinging; food poisoning from rotten shellfish; hives that are accompanied by joint pain and feel better for rubbing (caused by stinging nettles or insects)

Veratrum: Collapse after diarrhea; the facial expression is anxious; they like cold drinks and sour foods; diarrhea caused by eating fruit; profuse cold, clammy sweat; deep, hollow cough; vomiting with diarrhea, with dizziness. Good remedy for food poisoning.

DISCLAIMER

Please always consult your medical professional or homeopath before taking any remedy. This guide is for acute situations only.

MORE INFO

Research is being done on a continual basis, see

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