What is Crotalus horridus?

Crotalus horridus is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from the venom of the timber rattlesnake. Homeopaths pick it for people who bleed or bruise easily, or who feel weak and very unwell.

The venom is watered down again and again in water and alcohol. Each step is shaken hard. At 30C, the strength most often sold, none of the venom is left in the drops or pellets you take.

Here is the plain verdict. Trials do not show that homeopathic remedies do more than a placebo, which is a dummy pill with no drug in it. This remedy has a long place in homeopathy, but long use is not proof that something works.

How does Crotalus horridus work?

Short answer: there is no known way for it to work in the body. At 30C no venom is left, so there is nothing there to act on your cells.

Homeopathy rests on two old ideas. The first is that a substance which causes symptoms in a well person can treat like symptoms in a sick person. The second is that shaking each dilution leaves some trace of the starting substance behind.

Chemistry does not back the second idea. When people feel better, the likely reasons are time, rest, care and attention, or placebo (feeling better because you expect to).

What forms does Crotalus horridus come in?

Most often you will see small sugar pellets that melt under your tongue.

Other forms are liquid drops in water and alcohol, soft tablets, and granules. Labels show 6C, 30C, 200C or 1M on one scale, or 6X and 12X on another.

A higher number means more dilution steps. Past 12C, no venom at all remains in the product.

Where it comes from:

The remedy comes from the United States in the 1830s. Constantine Hering, a homeopath, tested rattlesnake venom on himself and others in 1837 and wrote down the symptoms they reported.

It went on to become one of the best known snake remedies in homeopathy. Homeopaths of the yellow fever years reached for it when a person bled and collapsed.

It is still listed today in homeopathic materia medica, the reference books that describe each remedy.

What does Crotalus horridus help with?

• Nosebleeds and easy bruising: This is the best known use in the old homeopathic books. No trial has tested it. Easy bruising or a nosebleed that will not stop needs a doctor, not a remedy.
• Bleeding gums: Homeopaths list it for gums that bleed when you brush. There is no trial evidence for this. Bleeding gums are most often a sign of gum disease, so see a dentist.
• Heavy periods: The books describe dark, thin blood that keeps flowing. No study has tested the remedy for heavy periods. Soaking a pad every hour is a reason to get checked.
• Shingles pain, often on the right side: Homeopaths link this remedy to burning pain on the right side of the body. No trial supports that use. Shingles has proven drug treatment that works best in the first three days.
• Hot flushes at menopause: Some homeopaths suggest it for flushes with a hot, red face. The evidence for this is only tradition. Trials do not separate it from a dummy pill.
• Varicose veins and heavy, aching legs: The books mention swollen, blue-looking veins. No human study has tested the remedy here. Warm, red, painful swelling in one leg is not a job for a remedy.
• Feeling weak and drained after an infection: The old texts describe a person who is pale, exhausted and low. This is a book picture, not a tested result. Lasting weakness after an illness should be looked at by a doctor.
• Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes): Homeopaths have used it for yellow skin since the 1800s. There is no trial evidence at all. Yellow skin or eyes always means you need medical care the same day.

What are the side effects of Crotalus horridus?

• No drug effects are expected at 30C, because no venom is left
• Alcohol in liquid drops may not suit you if you avoid alcohol
• Sugar pellets may contain lactose (milk sugar), which upsets some people
• A short worsening of symptoms, which homeopaths call an aggravation and trials have not confirmed
• The real risk: putting off care that you need for bleeding or infection

Good to know:

Direct harm from a 30C remedy is very unlikely. There is nothing in it to poison you.

The true danger is different. The problems this remedy is aimed at, such as heavy bleeding, yellow skin or a severe infection, can get worse fast without proper treatment.

Use it alongside medical care, never in place of it.

How much Crotalus horridus should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been shown to work, because trials do not separate this remedy from a dummy pill. What follows is only common homeopathic practice, not proof. A usual home pattern is 3 to 5 pellets at 30C, taken once and then repeated only if the same symptom returns. Liquid drops are often 5 drops in a little water. Higher strengths such as 200C and 1M are usually given by a homeopath, not chosen at home.
• Best time of day: Any time of day. Homeopaths often suggest taking it away from strong tastes such as coffee, mint toothpaste or menthol, though this is custom rather than a tested rule.
• With or without food: Usually taken on a clean mouth, about 15 minutes before or after food or drink. This is homeopathic custom, not a rule based on how the body absorbs anything.
• Time to effect: There is no proven effect, so there is no proven time to effect. People who report a change usually say it happened within minutes to a day.
• How long to take it: Homeopaths normally stop as soon as things improve, and do not keep dosing day after day. If nothing has changed after 3 days, stop and rethink. Do not let a remedy stretch out the time before you get a real diagnosis.