What is Cobaltum metallicum?

Cobaltum metallicum is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from cobalt. Cobalt is a hard grey metal.

It is a single drug (Homeopathy). Latin: Cobaltum (Co). Also known as: Cobalt.

Homeopaths have used it for low back pain and for sex problems in men. Long use in a tradition does not prove that a remedy works. No human trials have tested it, so the evidence grade here is insufficient.

How does Cobaltum metallicum work?

Short answer: no one has shown how it could work.

Homeopathy rests on the idea that 'like cures like'. A substance that causes signs in a well person is given in very small doses to treat like signs.

To make it, the metal is ground up with milk sugar. Then it is watered down and shaken, step by step. This is called serial dilution.

At 30C the water has been added so many times that essentially no cobalt is left. There is no known way a pill with no cobalt in it could act on the body. In trials, homeopathic pills do not come out ahead of placebo (dummy) pills.

What forms does Cobaltum metallicum come in?

It comes as small sugar pellets, as tablets, or as liquid drops.

Common strengths are 6C, 12C, 30C and 200C. X or D strengths, such as 6X, are watered down far less. The lower the number, the more real metal may be left in the product.

Pellets are made from milk sugar. Drops are usually made with water and some alcohol.

Where it comes from:

Cobaltum metallicum is a small, minor remedy within homeopathy.

Miners in Germany named the ore 'kobold', after a goblin, because it made them ill. In the 1800s, homeopaths gave the metal to healthy people and wrote down what they felt. Those notes were printed in 19th century remedy books, such as Allen's.

It has never been a front-rank homeopathic remedy, and it is rarely picked today.

What does Cobaltum metallicum help with?

• Low back pain: This is the classic reason homeopaths reach for it. Old remedy books describe back pain that is worse when sitting and better when moving. No trial has tested the remedy for back pain, so this is custom only.
• Weak, tired legs: Remedy books list heavy, shaky legs with the back pain. There is no trial evidence. Sudden leg weakness can be a sign of a nerve or spine problem, so get it checked.
• Sex problems in men, such as trouble with erections: The 19th century notes describe fluid loss at night and loss of drive. No human trial supports this use. Erection trouble can be an early sign of heart or blood sugar problems, so see a doctor first.
• Headache at the back of the head: Listed in the old provings, often with neck stiffness. No trials exist. A new, severe or sudden headache needs medical care, not a homeopathic pill.
• Low mood with tiredness: The old notes mention gloom and worry in the morning. There is no trial evidence at all. Low mood that lasts more than two weeks should be seen by a doctor.

Which foods are rich in Cobaltum metallicum?

1. Clams and other shellfish: very high in vitamin B12, which carries cobalt
2. Liver: one of the richest B12 foods
3. Oily fish such as salmon and sardines: a good B12 source
4. Eggs, milk and cheese: smaller amounts of B12

Practical Tips:

Your body gets the cobalt it needs from vitamin B12 in food, not from this remedy.

What are the side effects of Cobaltum metallicum?

• Upset stomach or loose stools, if milk sugar does not suit you
• Rash or itch, rarely, from an allergy to something in the pill
• A short flare of your symptoms, which homeopaths call an aggravation
• Choking on the pellets, a risk for babies and small children
• With low, material strengths only: sickness, thyroid changes, or heart muscle strain from real cobalt

Good to know:

Most people notice nothing at all. A 30C pill holds no cobalt. It acts like a plain sugar pill.

The main risk is not the pill. It is waiting too long to get care you need.

Cobalt in real, weighable amounts is toxic. It can harm the heart muscle, the thyroid gland (a gland in the neck), the nerves and the ears. Breathing cobalt dust for years is linked to lung disease and to cancer.

Those harms come from metal cobalt, not from high dilutions. Still, they are the reason to skip low strengths and to buy only from a known maker.

How much Cobaltum metallicum should you take?

• Recommended daily: No safe and effective dose has been set by research. In practice, homeopaths suggest 3 to 5 pellets of a 30C, once or twice a day. Some use a single dose and then wait. These amounts come from custom, not from trials. Stay away from low, material strengths such as 1X to 6X. Those may still hold real cobalt, which is a toxic heavy metal.
• Best time of day: Homeopaths usually suggest taking it between meals, often morning and evening. There is no proof that timing changes anything.
• With or without food: Take it away from food, about 15 minutes before or after eating or drinking. This is a homeopathic habit, not a proven rule.
• Time to effect: No honest time can be given, because the remedy has not been tested in people. Users who report change usually say it came within days to a few weeks. Any such change may simply be the illness passing on its own.
• How long to take it: Keep it short. Most homeopaths look again after two to four weeks. If nothing has changed by then, stop and see a doctor. Do not take it month after month without advice. Never use it in place of treatment you have been told you need.