selecting the remedy. Chronic illness such as ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis,
asthma, and skin disorders are considered to be constitutional. Thus these disorders
require the most skillful assessment, individualized prescription, and follow-up.
The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, listing more than 2,000
remedies, is the official standard for preparation and prescription. Most remedies
come from plants used in traditional herbal medicine. A few remedies come from
animal sources and others from naturally occurring chemical compounds. Table 8.1
lists examples of remedies. Some, such as mercury and belladonna, would be poi-
sonous in large doses but are safe in the superdiluted homeopathic doses. These
remedies rank among the safest medicines available.Table 8.1 Examples of Homeopathic Remedies
Vegetable Mineral Animal
Herbs: Metals: Venoms:
comfrey, eyebright, copper, gold, lead, tin, zinc jellyfish, insects, spiders,
mullein, yellow dock mollusks, crustaceans, fish,
snakes, amphibians
Foods and spices: Salts: Secretions:
cayenne, garlic, calcium sulfate, sodium ambergris, musk, cuttlefish ink
mustard,onion chloride, potassium carbonate
Fragrances, resins, Acids: Milks
residues: hydrochloric, nitric,
amber, petroleum, phosphoric, sulfuric Hormones
charcoal, creosote
Mushrooms, lichens, Elemental substances: Glandular and Tissue Extracts
mosses carbon, hydrogen, iodine,
phosphorus, sulfur
Constituents of earth’s crust: Disease Products:
silica, aluminum oxide, ores, vaccines, abcesses, tuberculo-
rocks, lavas, mineral waters sis, gonorrhea, syphilisHow Do I Get Started with Homeopathy?
People who are interested in homeopathic remedies can find low potency remedies
in health food stores. Higher potency remedies are obtained from homeopathic
pharmaceutical companies under the direction of experienced homeopathic practi-
tioners. Since remedies are inactivated by direct sunlight and heat, you must storeCHAPTER 8 HOMEOPATHY 111