Acidum carbolicum
Quick Facts
- What it is: A homeopathic remedy made by diluting carbolic acid (phenol) many times, until no phenol is left at 30C.
- Main uses: Sharp, sudden pains, Sick stomach with foul breath, Tight band headache
- Best for: Traditional homeopathic prescribing only
- Active ingredients: Phenol (carbolic acid) — absent at 30C and above
- Forms: Sugar pellets, Pills, Liquid drops
- Time to effect: Claimed within hours to days; not shown in trials.
- Side effects: None expected at 30C; raw phenol is a strong poison.
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What is Acidum carbolicum?
Acidum carbolicum is a homeopathic single remedy. It is made from carbolic acid, also called phenol. In raw form phenol is a strong poison that burns skin.
The remedy is made by diluting phenol over and over. Each step shakes it and cuts the strength again. At 30C there is no phenol left in the pill at all.
Homeopaths give it for sharp pains that come and go fast, sick stomach with foul breath, and a tight band feeling round the head. Tests do not show that it works better than a dummy pill (placebo). Long use in a tradition is not proof that a remedy works, and that holds for this one.
How does Acidum carbolicum work?
There is no known way for this remedy to act on the body. At 30C no phenol is left to act.
Homeopathy rests on the idea of "like cures like". The raw drug causes signs in a well person. The same drug, made very weak, is then given for those same signs.
Homeopaths say the shaking leaves a trace or "imprint" in the water. Chemists have not found such a trace. Trials do not show an effect beyond placebo.
What forms does Acidum carbolicum come in?
You will most often see it as small sugar pellets or pills. Liquid drops in water and alcohol are also sold.
Labels give a strength such as 6C, 30C or 200C. The higher the number, the more times it was diluted. Never use raw carbolic acid or phenol from a lab or a cleaning product in its place.
Where it comes from:
Phenol came into use in the 1860s as a germ killer for wounds and surgery. Joseph Lister made it famous in British hospitals.
Homeopaths tested it on healthy people later in the 1800s. They wrote down the signs it caused and added it to their books. It has stayed a small, second-rank remedy in that one tradition ever since.
Who should avoid Acidum carbolicum?
- Never swallow raw carbolic acid or lab phenol; it burns the gut and can kill
- Do not use if you are treating a medical emergency, such as trouble breathing, a bad sting reaction, or a burn
- Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, unless a doctor or trained homeopath agrees
- Do not use if you are giving it to a baby under one year old without a doctor's advice
- Do not use if you have been told to avoid alcohol, or you take disulfiram or metronidazole, unless you choose the pellets over the drops
- Do not use if you have liver or kidney disease and the product is a low strength such as 3X or 6C, unless a doctor checks it first
- Do not use if you plan to stop or cut back a prescribed medicine in order to take it
When should you see a doctor?
See a doctor if your symptoms do not start to ease within three to five days, or if they get worse at any point. Get urgent help for a sudden very bad headache, vomiting that will not stop, yellow skin or eyes, much less urine than normal, or a fit. Call an ambulance if someone swallows raw carbolic acid, or if a sting causes swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing, or fainting.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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