Common Homeopathic Medicines

CALENDULA (Marigold)
CALENDULA TINCTURE (in an alcohol base), GEL, SPRAY, and OINTMENT are external applications in treating cuts and abrasions. CALENDULA is known to have antiseptic properties due to its organic iodine content. It helps stop bleeding, inhibits infection, and promotes granulation of tissues to help heal wounds and burns.

CALENDULA TINCTURE should not be applied directly on a cut since its alcohol content causes stinging pain. It is best to dilute this tincture with a little water. To avoid this effort, directly apply CALENDULA GEL, SPRAY, or OINTMENT.

Note: CALENDULA works so rapidly in healing the skin that it is not recommended for use in deep cuts. In deep cuts it can close and heal the outside skin before the tissue underneath is completely healed.

HYPERICUM (St. John's Wort)
HYPERICUM TINCTURE is recommended as an external application in treating deep cuts since it helps heal internal structures as well as the skin. It also has the ability to close open wounds and thus sometimes prevents the need for stitches. It is also used for septic (infected) wounds (CALENDULA, in comparison, is primarily good for clean uninfected cuts). HYPERICUM TINCTURE, like other external applications which have an alcohol base, should be diluted prior to application.

General Rules for Determining Dosage
People who are beginners in homeopathy should primarily use the 6th potency (written on the bottom as "6x" or "6c") or the 30th potency ("30x" or "30c"). The 6x is a dose of the medicine that has been diluted 1:10 six times with vigorous shaking between each dilution, while the 6c has been diluted 1:100 six times. Only homeopathic practitioners who have a good knowledge of homeopathy should use the higher potencies (200x, 1000x, or higher). It is important to remember that homeopathic medicines are more powerful the more they experience "potentization"--the pharmaceutical process of dilution and shaking. Higher potencies thus should be used with great care.

The basic principle of how to determine dosage is: The more severe the condition, the more often will its repetition be necessary. A medicine should only be taken as long as the person experiences pain. Do not continue taking the medicine unless there are still symptoms.

Administration of the Medicine
The medicine should be taken into a "clean mouth." Food, drink, tobacco, toothpaste, and other substances should not be put into the mouth for at least 15 minutes before or after the dose. It is generally best to place the medicine underneath the tongue. Some substances can neutralize the effects of the homeopathic medicines so coffee, camphorated products (including lip balm, counter-irritant muscle relaxing cremes), strong herbal teas, mentholated products, cough drops, and mouthwash should better be avoided for at least 48 hours after taking the final dose.

Care and Storage of Homeopathic Medicines

Following precautions should be taken to prevent potential problems.
The medicines should be kept away from strong light, from temperatures higher than 100 degrees, and from exposure to strong odors like camphor, menthol, mothballs, or perfumes.

• The medicines should always be kept in the container in which they were supplied and never transferred to any other bottle which has contained other substances.
  
  
• The medicine should be opened for administration of the medicine for the minimum time possible. One should be careful not to contaminate the cap or cork before replacement.
  
  
• If, by accident, more pills than the number specified in the prescribed dose are shaken out of the bottle, do not return them to the container; throw the excess away to avoid possible contamination.