Homeopathic remedies make a perfect first aid kit. With twelve simple remedies, you can help yourself or your family members heal from many common injuries and illnesses.
Homeopathy is a 200-year old system of natural medicine that gently encourages the body to heal itself using homeopathic remedies made from natural substances. The remedies are highly diluted and therefore always safe and gentle. With a few simple instructions, anyone can successfully use our select group of First Aid Remedies for common accidents and illnesses. For successful dosing of the remedy refer to the instructions at the end of the article.
As with any First Aid intervention, medical evaluation is always indicated for severe or persistent pain or symptoms.
Injuries
Aconite doubles as remedy for both injury and fright. If the injury is such that the person is shaking, pale, or light headed, Aconite can help calm the nerves, or if there is no injury but just a sudden fright, a dose of Aconite taken once or twice can restore equanimity.
Apis is made from the honeybee and often helps honeybee stings, when the area affected gets red shiny, swollen and hot. When ice or cold applications are really helpful, so will a few doses of Apis relieve some of the discomfort.
Arnica is many people's first remedy. Arnica is a perfect help to heal a body that has been bumped, bruised, or overexerted. Sore and aching is how you feel when Arnica will help. Twisted ankles, pulled muscles and common bumps feel better after taking a few pellets of Arnica 30C, repeated 2-3 times a day. Even a broken bone will feel a little better after Arnica, but of course that needs a trip to the E.R.! If you feel sore and achy after over-exertion or when you have the flu - and you feel as if you've been “run over by a truck” - Arnica can help.
Hypericum is the remedy for nerve injuries, so pinched fingers or toes that make you squeal with pain can be soothed with a dose of Hypericum. A fall onto the tailbone or pain after going to the dentist can also be helped with Hypericum, 30C, a few pellets taken 2-3 times daily.
Ledum is particularly for puncture wounds, whether they come from a tetanus shot, a bee sting, or a thorn or nail. Taking 30C pellets 2-3 times a day can both ease the pain and shrink the red inflammatory reaction to the puncture wound.
Illnesses
Aconite is useful for any illness that comes on suddenly after very cold weather, particularly after being out in the wind. It can help almost any illness - headache, sore throat, cold, or cough. A croupy cough that wakes a child before midnight may be soothed with Aconite, a few pellets taken several times during the night.
Belladonna is the most often used remedy for simple fevers. There is some wisdom to allowing a fever to run its course, but when the sick person is miserable, flushed, hot to the touch, dry skinned and perhaps with dilated pupils, the remedy Belladonna can often help to bring comfort. When there is a fever, a remedy may be repeated more often, even every 15 minutes if it seems to be helping.
Bryonia is a useful remedy for a lingering flu, with lethargy, heat, dryness and a lot of thirst. Every movement seems to hurt so the person prefers to hold still, or more frequently, lie still on the couch seemingly doing nothing. Bryonia can also be used after an illness in the phase where every movement hurts, or any illness with the same symptom.
Chamomila is a remedy frequently useful for children with acute illnesses, with inconsolable whining and irritability. Teething, colic, even ear pain can create the kind of irritability that Chamomila can relieve. A few pellets taken a few times a day, or more often if they seem to help and then wear off, can be the key to a restful night's sleep.
Gelsemium is a wonderful remedy for the flu or any illness where the sick person feels dull-headed, drowsy, and dizzy. They may complain that their head fills heavy or that they feel too weak to lift their head or move at all. Gelsemium is also useful for stage fright or any fear anticipating a challenging event.
Nux Vomica helps when digestion seems to be moving in the wrong direction. When there is burping, burning, cramping, nothing moving the way it's supposed to, or moving too quickly with a lot of cramping and a never-quite-done feeling. Also useful for a hangover, Nux Vomica is a frequently used remedy. Useful for respiratory illnesses or allergies when there is lots of sneezing and irritability.
Rhus Tox is another remedy that can be used for illness or injury, and is most helpful where there is chilliness, and pain with moving, but some relief from both warmth and continued movement. Rhus Tox can also be helpful with some kinds of arthritis or influenza where joints feel stiff and slow to move, but then feel better once the moving continues.
Your homeopathic remedy will work best if you:
Select the remedy that best matches the symptoms. Take only one remedy at a time.
Take your “dose” (2-3 pellets of a 30C potency) directly from the cap of the bottle or a spoon into your mouth. Don't touch the remedy with your fingers.
Have nothing to eat or drink for 15 minutes before and after you take the remedy.
You can repeat a 30C potency as needed within these guidelines:
- Daily,
- Twice daily, or
- Even more frequently if the symptoms are relieved and the return, especially if there is a fever.
Certain things can interfere with (homeopaths say “antidote”) the action of a remedy. If you read my dog's story in the newsletter, I learned that sulfur hot springs can antidote a remedy, as they made her relapse into her collapsed state. She had a second dose of Arnica and was fine again. Other “antidotes” are coffee (not caffeine), camphor, menthol, tea tree oil, acupuncture, and dental drilling.
