What is Natrum arsenicosum?

Natrum arsenicosum is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from sodium arsenate, a salt of arsenic. Homeopaths give it for hay fever, blocked sinuses and wheezy breathing.

The salt is watered down again and again, with hard shaking at each step. At the usual 30C strength, not one molecule of arsenic is left. You are taking a sugar pill, or a drop of water and alcohol.

Long use inside a tradition is not proof that something works. No trial shows this remedy beating a dummy pill. This page reports both sides: what homeopaths say, and what tests show.

How does Natrum arsenicosum work?

Homeopaths follow the rule of "like cures like". A big dose of arsenic causes burning eyes, a streaming nose and tight breathing. So they give a tiny form of it to people with those same signs.

They also believe that shaking at each step leaves a trace of the salt in the water. Chemists have looked and found nothing. Once the arsenic is gone, there is no known way for the remedy to act on the body.

One thing is different at very low strengths, such as 1X or 3X. Real arsenic can still be there. That is a chemical dose with real risk, not a homeopathic idea.

What forms does Natrum arsenicosum come in?

Most people buy small sugar pills that have been soaked in the remedy. Liquid drops in water and alcohol are also sold.

Common strengths are 6C, 30C and 200C. Some shops also sell low strengths marked 1X, 3X or 6X.

Check the label before you buy. Low strengths may still hold arsenic. The higher C strengths hold none.

Where it comes from:

Sodium arsenate joined the homeopathic list in the 1800s. Its picture came from provings. In a proving, healthy people take a substance and write down every symptom they feel.

Homeopaths have used it since then for nose, sinus and chest complaints. It is a smaller remedy, not one of the famous ones. Its standing rests on old case notes rather than trials.

What does Natrum arsenicosum help with?

• Hay fever (an allergy to pollen): This is the main use homeopaths name. They pick it when the nose runs, the eyes burn and the symptoms feel worse indoors. No trial has tested the remedy for hay fever, so there is nothing to weigh it against a dummy pill.
• Sinus pain and a blocked nose: Homeopaths use it for a sore, full feeling over the nose and cheeks. Case notes from old texts are the only support. If your pain lasts more than ten days, or you run a fever, see a doctor.
• Wheezy, asthma-like breathing: Old texts list tight breathing that is worse at night. There is no trial support at all. Never use this remedy in place of an inhaler. Asthma can turn dangerous within minutes.
• Burning, watery eyes: Homeopaths link this remedy to eyes that sting and water in bright light. The link comes from provings, not from tests in patients. Eye pain with blurred sight needs a doctor the same day.
• Tiredness with a dull headache: Some texts list a heavy head and low energy in the remedy picture. This is tradition only. Lasting tiredness has many causes, and some of them need blood tests.

Which foods are rich in Natrum arsenicosum?

1. Rice and rice cakes: they take up small amounts of arsenic from soil
2. Fish and shellfish: they hold a milder form of arsenic
3. Well water in some areas: it can hold arsenic from rock

Practical Tips:

These foods are not a source of the remedy. They matter only because they add to the arsenic you already take in.

What are the side effects of Natrum arsenicosum?

• No effects at all in most people at 30C
• A short flare of your symptoms, which homeopaths call an aggravation
• Upset stomach from the lactose (milk sugar) in the pills
• Rash or itching from a reaction to the pill base
• With low strengths that still hold arsenic: nausea, vomiting, cramps or watery stools
• With long use of low strengths: numb or tingling hands and feet
• With long use of low strengths: skin changes and a raised risk of cancer

Good to know:

At 30C there is nothing in the pill but sugar. So side effects are very rare. A few people say their symptoms flare for a day, but this has never been shown in a test.

Low strengths are a different story. A 1X or 3X product can hold real arsenic. Arsenic is a poison and it can cause cancer after long use.

That is why the strength on the label matters so much. Stop at once if you feel sick, get cramps or notice tingling hands. Then ring a doctor.

How much Natrum arsenicosum should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no proven dose. Homeopathy does not set doses the way normal medicine does. Labels often say to take 3 to 5 pills under the tongue, two or three times a day. Drops are usually 5 to 10 in a little water. A homeopath may instead give one dose and then wait. Follow the label on the pack you bought, and do not use low 1X or 3X products.
• Best time of day: Any time of day works. Many people take one dose in the morning and one at night. For a stuffy nose, homeopaths often suggest a dose before bed.
• With or without food: Take it away from food and drink. The usual advice is a clean mouth for 15 minutes before and after. Strong mint, coffee and toothpaste are avoided by habit, not because of any test.
• Time to effect: Homeopaths expect a change within a few days for a sudden complaint. There is no trial to back up any time frame. Any change you notice may simply be the illness passing on its own.
• How long to take it: Use it for a short time only. Most homeopaths suggest a few days for a new complaint. Stop and think again after about two weeks. If nothing has changed, it is not working for you. Do not take it for months on end. Long use of any arsenic product is a bad idea.