Top 5 Homeopathic Remedies for Summer

For most people, summer is the best time of the year. Lots of sunshine for playing outside, hiking in the woods, splashing in the pool, or lying on the beach …

Well, as long as we don’t talk about the bees in the grass … or the mosquitoes in the evenings … or sunburned noses …

Summer’s still worth it, though, right? Of course it is!

I want to share with you five homeopathic remedies that will make those common summer mishaps a simple matter of “No worries!”

• Arnica
• Cantharis
• Apis
• Rhus Tox
• Nux Vomica
• plus two bonus remedies!

Before we get started, though, if you’re not familiar with homeopathy and how it works, please hop over and read my “What is Homeopathy?” article. It will explain all you need to know about this amazingly effective method of natural health care.

Arnica

Homeopathic Arnica is always at the top of my “must have” list, and I think everyone – especially families with kids – should keep a bottle on hand. Made from the blooms of leopard’s bane (Arnica montana), a lovely yellow flower that grows in the Alps, homeopathic Arnica is the first and best treatment for:

• bruises & black eyes
• head injuries
• shock
• sprains & strains
• overexertion

Bruises & Black Eyes

Ask any holistic health professional what to do for a bruise, and the answer is almost invariably going to be Arnica. Simply put, if you see a bruise, think Arnica. Arnica helps the body reabsorb blood and relieves pain and swelling, making it the perfect choice for bruises of all sizes and colors.

Head Injuries

Its ability to help the body reabsorb blood makes Arnica the best option for head injuries also. It will reduce the swelling and discoloration of those “goose eggs” and help relieve pain too. I pair it with an ice pack and a watchful eye.

Shock

Every injury, even minor ones, causes some degree of shock in which blood flow to the brain is reduced. Arnica restores proper blood flow and, therefore, oxygen levels in the brain and should be given every 15 minutes during more serious cases of shock with symptoms of

• pale, cold, or clammy skin
• rapid, shallow breathing
• restlessness
• rising pulse rate
• a feeling of impending disaster
• a denial that anything is actually wrong

Shock from minor injuries won’t be as severe but still often includes

• rapid, shallow breathing
• rising pulse rate
• tension in stomach or chest

Whenever one of our kids gets hurt in some way, particularly if they’re freaking out about it, I give Arnica right away. It not only helps alleviate their shock from the injury, but it begins helping the body heal any broken blood vessels (bruising) right away.

Sprains and Strains

Sprains and strains typically involve bruising, swelling, pain, and stiffness. Arnica will relieve the pain and swelling, while it helps the body reabsorb blood and heal the broken vessels. Along with taking homeopathic Arnica internally, the injured area can be gently massaged with an Arnica ointment, lotion, or spray.

You can buy homeopathic Arnica gel or get some organic Arnica flowers and try making your own homemade herbal salve.

Overexertion

Summer means getting outside and gardening, hiking, climbing trees, and soaking up all the sunshine you possibly can. But with all that activity sometimes comes sore, aching muscles.

Arnica to the rescue again! When muscles are overtired, aching, sore, and you just can’t get comfortable, taking homeopathic Arnica will help. In fact, if you take Arnica before a strenuous day of hiking, gardening, or even just before your normal workout, it can prevent that aching soreness before it starts.

Cantharis

Homeopathic Cantharis is another indispensable remedy in my household. We use it year-round, but the need for it seems to go up in the summertime.

Cantharis is specific (meaning “the perfect choice”) for burns anywhere on the body. It’s particularly suited for

• Sunburns
• Second- or third-degree burns

Because vitamin D is so important for immunity and good mental health, my family doesn’t use sunscreen on a daily basis. When we’re going to be around water, though, we love our homemade sunscreen.

But we don’t always remember to use it when we should … like last year when I didn’t put sunscreen on my legs but then sat in the baby pool for two hours. Ouch!!

The bright redness and pain of a new sunburn is quickly helped by Cantharis. I typically give a 30C potency every 30 minutes until the pain begins to ease. Usually the pain starts to go down within an hour, and by the next morning, the redness is almost gone and the discomfort is minimal.

Likewise, when someone gets burned on a hot pot or other hot surface and develops a bright red spot or blister, Cantharis will ease the pain and speed healing. When we’ve used Cantharis for this type of burn, the pain is typically gone completely by the next day. Unlike when we haven’t used it and the pain persists for 5+ days.

Apis mellifica

Along with warmer temperatures come those stinging insects: bees and wasps. While I love bees for their task of pollinating plants … and for their honey … I do not love getting stung or having one of my children get stung.

Crazily, my three-year-old and my 13-year-old both got stung on separate days last week. This, after going all last summer with no one getting stung.

Thankfully, homeopathic Apis mellifica takes the pain and burning out of stings almost immediately.

You know how some bee stings will itch for days and days? Not with Apis.

Take Apis internally every 15-30 minutes until the pain begins to fade away, and by the next day, you’ll hardly be able to tell you were stung at all.

We pair Apis with a cold washcloth (for the freaking out three-year-old) or with a paste of baking soda and pure water (for the calmer older folks). The baking soda will pull the venom out to help speed pain relief.

(We used to pour a little chlorine bleach over bee stings to pull the venom out, and it really does work. But I no longer think using bleach is wise for skin, eyes, lungs…)

Rhus Tox

Leaves of three, let it be.

Another itchy encounter common to summer is poison ivy, oak, and sumac. Homeopathic Rhus Toxicodendron is actually made from poison ivy, diluted to such a small quantity that it no longer causes itching and irritation but cures them instead!

It’s not just for poison ivy, though. If the irritated area itches, burns, and is actually aggravated the more you itch, Rhus Tox is the right choice. Take the 6X potency every 15 minutes until the discomfort subsides. Once you notice improvement, stop taking Rhus Tox unless the symptoms increase again.

Nux Vomica

Homeopathic Nux Vomica will be your best friend the next time you overindulge at a summer cookout. The indigestion, bloating, heartburn, and general “blah” feeling that comes with eating entirely too much greasy, fatty, or sweet food will be promptly relieved by Nux Vomica.

Nux Vomica is actually considered a specific for any sort of overindulgence. Ate too much watermelon or barbequed ribs? Take Nux Vomica. Slept too late on a Saturday morning and have a headache? Take Nux Vomica. On the flipside, if you feel bad because you didn’t get enough sleep, Nux Vomica can help that too.

Of course, this is not a license to eat too much fatty food, drink too much, or not get enough sleep on a regular basis. Nux Vomica is there to help on those uncommon occasions when you overindulge in some way. It’s not there to help you live an unhealthy lifestyle everyday.

I suggest taking the 30C potency of Nux Vomica every 30-60 minutes until symptoms subside. And then get a good night’s sleep and have a light salad for lunch the next day.

Ledum & Staphysagria (bonus remedies!)

I was scratching a few mosquito bites (because I failed to use my homemade bug repellent at the park…) while I wrote this article. After making myself miserable with the itching, I finally took homeopathic Staphysagria and was itch-free about 20 minutes later.

I’ve also used homeopathic Ledum to stop the itch of mosquito bites. Ledum is best for itching bites that feel better with cold applications, while Staphysagria is best for those that itch excessively or have raised large welts.

(I didn’t feel like re-doing the images that say “Top 5 Homeopathic Remedies for Summer” so you get a 6th and 7th remedy as a bonus.

Give either remedy every 15 minutes until the itch subsides. (I only needed two doses of Staphysagria to stop my itching today.)

Homeopathic Remedies for a Happy Summer

Homeopathic remedies are an integral part of my family’s health care. I truly could not do without them! The dosage is so simple and easy to give – much easier than getting a kid to drink herbal tea! And the remedies are amazingly effective, almost miraculously so in many cases. I only wish I’d discovered homeopathy sooner.

Which remedy will you try first?

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