What is Condurango?

Condurango is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from the bark of a South American climbing vine called Marsdenia cundurango. Homeopaths give it for stomach pain, trouble swallowing, and cracks at the corners of the mouth.

It is a single drug in homeopathy. That means it comes from one plant, not a blend of several. The bark is also known as condor vine bark.

Like all homeopathic products, it is made by diluting a plant extract over and over. At common strengths such as 30C, no plant matter is left in the pill at all.

Here is the short verdict. It has a recognised place in homeopathic practice, but no good human trials show that it works. Long use in a tradition is not proof that something works, and that point is not repeated further down this page.

How does Condurango work?

The honest answer is that no one has shown Condurango works better than a placebo (a dummy treatment).

Homeopathy rests on an idea called "like cures like". Raw condurango bark is bitter and can upset the stomach. So homeopaths give tiny doses of it for stomach trouble.

The extract is diluted in steps and shaken hard between each step. A 30C pill has been diluted so far that not one scrap of bark is left. What you swallow is sugar or water.

Homeopaths say the water keeps a kind of imprint of the plant. Chemistry and physics give no support for that idea. In trials, homeopathic remedies have not been told apart from placebo.

What forms does Condurango come in?

You will most often see small sugar pills soaked in the diluted liquid.

Other forms include the mother tincture (marked Q or TM), liquid drops in alcohol and water, and single-dose sugar pills in a tube. Common strengths are 3X, 6C, 30C and 200C.

The mother tincture and low strengths still contain plant matter, so treat them with more care than the high dilutions.

Where it comes from:

Condurango bark comes from Ecuador and Colombia. Local people used it as a bitter tonic for poor appetite and stomach upsets.

In the 1870s it was sold hard in Europe and the United States as a cure for cancer. Doctors tested it and the claim fell apart. It does not cure cancer.

Homeopaths kept it as a small remedy for stomach and throat symptoms, and it has stayed in their books since the late 1800s.

What does Condurango help with?

• Stomach pain and indigestion: This is the main reason homeopaths reach for Condurango. They pick it when pain sits behind the breastbone and comes on soon after eating. No human trial supports this use.
• Painful or difficult swallowing: Homeopathic books list it for a feeling of narrowing in the gullet (the food pipe). Trouble swallowing can be a sign of a serious problem, so it needs a doctor, not a home remedy. There is no trial evidence here.
• Cracks at the corners of the mouth: This is the classic sign that leads homeopaths to Condurango. In plain medicine, such cracks often point to a skin infection or a low vitamin level, both of which have proven treatments. No trial has tested Condurango for it.
• Poor appetite: The raw bark was once used as a bitter tonic to wake up the appetite. Bitters of many kinds have been used this way for centuries. Homeopathic dilutions are not the same thing as the bitter bark, and neither has been tested properly in people.
• Burning pain behind the breastbone: Homeopaths use it for burning that eases while eating and returns later. Ongoing burning can mean reflux or an ulcer (a sore in the stomach lining). Get it checked rather than treating it alone.

What are the side effects of Condurango?

• No effects expected from high strengths such as 30C, which contain no plant matter
• Nausea or vomiting from the mother tincture or low strengths
• Loose stools or stomach cramps from the mother tincture
• Dizziness after large amounts of the crude bark
• Fits (seizures) reported after very large doses of the crude bark
• Stomach upset in people with lactose intolerance, because the pills are made of milk sugar
• Flushing or headache from the alcohol in liquid drops
• Rash or itching if you are allergic to the plant

Good to know:

Most people feel nothing at all from the high dilutions. There is no plant left in them to cause harm.

The mother tincture and low strengths such as 3X are different. They do hold small amounts of bark, and these can upset the stomach.

Large amounts of the raw bark can be toxic. Old reports link big doses to vomiting, dizziness and fits (seizures). Stay well clear of such doses.

The biggest risk with this remedy is not the pill. It is trusting it with a serious problem, such as trouble swallowing or a cancer, and putting off real care.

How much Condurango should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been shown to work in trials, so nothing here is proven. In everyday homeopathic practice, people take 3 to 5 small pills of 6C or 30C, two or three times a day. Some take a single dose of 200C and then wait. The mother tincture is a different matter. It holds real plant material and is only for a trained practitioner to advise on. Do not dose yourself with it.
• Best time of day: There is no proven best time. Homeopaths usually suggest taking it away from food, drink, coffee and strong mint.
• With or without food: Usually taken on an empty mouth, about 15 to 30 minutes before or after food or drink.
• Time to effect: No reliable timing exists, because no trial has shown an effect. Homeopaths expect a change within a few days.
• How long to take it: Homeopaths usually suggest a short trial of a few days to two weeks. If nothing changes, stop and rethink. Do not keep taking it for months out of habit, and see a doctor if your symptoms stay or get worse.