By Cat, Dec 2017
This article discusses Oscillococcinum homeopathic remedy for flu, with mention of other common flu remedies based on your particular set of symptoms:
- Gelsemium
- Byronia
- Eupatorium perfoliatum
- Rhus toxicodendron
- Arsenicum album
See also my article: Introduction to Homeopathy
I first became acquainted with the effectiveness of the Oscillococcinum homeopathic remedy for flu years ago when flying from Portland to Denver for a conference. It was during flu season, and I’d bought some at my local food co-op for “just in case,” and was ever so glad I did. If taken within the first 48 hours of experiencing symptoms it can help you get over the flu more quickly. Typical symptoms are: body aches, headaches, fatigue, chills & fever.
The remedy is made by Boiron, and contains Anas Barbariae Hepatis Et Cordis Extractum – 200 CK, delivered in tiny lactose/sucrose pills that dissolve under the tongue. The remedy is made from extracts of muscovy duck liver and heart. (200 CK is the type of dilution using the Korsakovian method which dilutes the homeopathic preparation of the substance at the rate of 1 part of the previous dilution with 99 parts of solvent. For 200 CK, the substance has been homeopathically diluted 200 times at the rate of 1 to 100 (1)) .
An article by Dana Ullman, MPH, CCH on Mercola’s website (2) states:
There are several scientific studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals that have confirmed Oscillococcinum’s efficacy. One large study of 487 patients found that almost twice as many patients who were given Oscillococcinum recovered from the flu within 48 hours as those given a placebo (17 percent versus 10 percent. (3) ….
Patients received three tubes of Oscillococcinum or placebo each day (morning, noon and night) for three days. The results of this trial show a highly statistically significant difference between the two groups, for what concerns disappearance of symptoms after 48 hours (19.2 percent in the Oscillococcinum group versus 17.1 percent in the placebo group) and improvement in symptoms (43.7 percent vs 38.6 percent for placebo) ) (p = 0.0028).
The Mercola article (2) also lists other homeopathic remedies for flu; choose the remedy that best matches your symptoms:
Gelsemium (yellow jessamine): When fatigue and a generalized heavy, weak feeling pervade the person, even leading to trembling of individual parts and to having heavy, half-open eyelids, this remedy may help. These people tend to have little or no thirst, can experience chills up and down their spine, and have a headache in the back part of their head.
Bryonia (white bryony): People who have marked body aches during the flu that are aggravated by any type of motion may be helped by this remedy. Generally, these people also have a headache in the front part of their head that is also aggravated by motion. They have dry, even chapped lips, a dry cough, and a great thirst for cold water. Despite being warm, they are averse to warm rooms. People with the flu who are very irritable and insist upon being left alone tend to benefit from this remedy.
Eupatorium perfoliatum (boneset): People with the flu who experience aches in the muscles and pains in the bones and/or in their eyes often benefit from this remedy. Another characteristic symptom of people who might find benefit in this remedy is chills that occur in the morning, especially 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. These people desire cold drinks, even during a chill and even though it may elicit a chill response, and they feel better lying on whatever part of their body is aching.
Rhus toxicodendron (poison ivy): This remedy has been found useful for people with muscle aches that are aggravated by initial motion but relieved by continued motion. These people are often very restless, especially at night in bed, tend to have a sore throat and are very thirsty but only for sips of water at a time. If a cold sore develops during the flu, some people may want to consider this medicine.
Arsenicum album (aka white arsenic): This highly diluted solution is an important medicine for people with the stomach flu who experience nausea and vomiting along with a fever. These people are sensitive to and worsened by exposure to cold. They experience a great thirst but only for sips of water at a time.
They feel restless and anxious, usually worrying if they might actually be sicker than they are, and they may seek several professionals’ opinion on their condition. They feel better with company around, and they feel the worst at or near midnight. Note: Do not attempt to mix this yourself, as it must be properly and scientifically prepared to be safe and effective.
References
- boironusa.com/info
- Mercola article: articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/12/26/influenza-homeopathic-treatment.aspx
- The quote from the Mercola article makes reference to a study: Ferley, JP, Zmirou, D, D’Admehar, D, et al., A Controlled Evaluation of a Homoeopathic Preparation in the Treatment of Influenza-like Syndrome, Britis (.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2655683)
