What is Cuprum arsenicosum?

Cuprum arsenicosum is a single homeopathic remedy. Its Latin name is Cupri arsenis. It is also known as copper arsenite, or Scheele's green, an old green paint colour.

Homeopaths give it for cramping belly pain, watery stools with cramps, sick feelings, and muscle cramps. It is a minor remedy, not a first-choice one.

The raw salt is a poison. It holds copper and arsenic. The remedy is watered down again and again, so a 30C pill holds none of the start material.

Traditional use is not proof that a thing works. Trials do not show homeopathic pills doing better than dummy pills. This page reports both axes side by side.

How does Cuprum arsenicosum work?

Homeopathy rests on two ideas. The first is "like cures like": a thing that causes a symptom is said to treat it. The second is that shaking each step of the dilution leaves a trace of the first substance behind.

There is no known way for that to happen. Water does not keep a record of what was once in it.

When homeopathic pills are tested against dummy pills, they do not do better. So any change you feel is best put down to placebo (a dummy-pill effect), time, and rest.

What forms does Cuprum arsenicosum come in?

You will find it as small sugar pills, tiny round granules, or liquid drops in alcohol. Some brands sell a soft tablet that melts on the tongue.

Common strengths are 6C, 30C, and 200C. The 30C is the one most shops stock.

Low strengths such as 3X and 6X are sold too. These may still hold real arsenic, so leave them alone.

Where it comes from:

Copper arsenite was made in 1775 by a Swedish chemist, Carl Scheele. It was sold as a bright green paint called Scheele's green. It also made people ill in rooms where that paint was used.

Homeopaths wrote it into their books in the 1800s. They used it for cholera-like watery stools with hard cramps.

It has stayed a small, less-used remedy within one tradition. That is why its traditional tier is T1.

What does Cuprum arsenicosum help with?

• Cramping watery diarrhoea: This is the main picture in homeopathic books: sudden watery stools with strong belly cramps. No human trial has tested this remedy for it. Watery stools that keep going need fluids and a doctor, not a sugar pill.
• Nausea and vomiting with belly cramps: Homeopaths list burning pain in the stomach with a sick feeling. Again, this comes from old case notes, not from trials. If you cannot keep fluids down, see a doctor.
• Muscle cramps in the legs and feet: Copper remedies are linked in homeopathy to cramp and twitching. No trial has tested Cuprum arsenicosum for cramp. Cramps that keep coming back may point to low salts in the blood or a drug side effect, so get them checked.
• Tight, wheezy breathing at night: Some old texts mention spasm in the chest and hard breathing. There is no trial evidence for this use. Breathing trouble is not something to treat at home; use your inhaler and call for help.
• Weakness after a stomach bug: Homeopaths describe deep tiredness with cold sweat after watery stools. This rests on tradition only. Most people get better with fluids, food, and rest.

Which foods are rich in Cuprum arsenicosum?

1. Rice and rice cakes: hold small natural amounts of arsenic from the soil
2. Seafood: holds a form of arsenic that the body passes out
3. Shellfish and nuts: hold small amounts of copper

What are the side effects of Cuprum arsenicosum?

• None at all in most people, since a 30C pill is just sugar
• Gas or loose stools from the milk sugar in the pills
• A sting in the mouth from the alcohol in liquid drops
• A rash, if you react to a dye or filler in the pill
• A short flare of your symptoms, which homeopaths call an aggravation
• Real poison signs from a low potency that still holds arsenic: burning throat, vomiting, watery stools, cramps
• Harm from waiting too long to get proper care

Good to know:

At 30C and above there is no source material in the pill. So direct side effects are rare and mild.

The main risk is not the pill. It is delay. Hard cramps, watery stools, chest pain, or trouble breathing need a doctor now.

The second risk is a low strength such as 3X or 6X. Those may still hold arsenic, which is a poison and a known cause of cancer.

How much Cuprum arsenicosum should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been set by research, because no trial has tested this remedy. Homeopathic labels often suggest 3 to 5 pills of a 30C, up to three times a day. Follow the label on the pack you own. Buy 30C or higher only. Skip 3X, 6X, 1C, or anything under 12C, as those may hold real arsenic.
• Best time of day: Any time of day. The usual homeopathic advice is to take it about 15 minutes away from food, drink, coffee, or toothpaste.
• With or without food: Between meals, in a clean mouth. Let the pill melt under your tongue rather than washing it down with water.
• Time to effect: No trial backs any time frame. Homeopaths expect a change within hours to a day or two. If you feel worse at any point, get care right away.
• How long to take it: Homeopaths say to stop as soon as you feel better. If nothing changes in two or three days, stop and see a doctor. Do not take it week after week.