What is Pneumococcinum?

Pneumococcinum is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from a germ called Streptococcus pneumoniae. This germ causes many cases of pneumonia (a lung infection), ear infection and sinus infection.

Remedies made from disease material are called nosodes. Homeopaths give it mainly to people who catch chest, ear or sinus infections again and again.

The source material is diluted step by step. It is shaken between each step. At the common strength of 30C, almost none of the starting germ is left in the pellet you take.

Here is the plain verdict. It has a known place in homeopathic practice. But no published human trial shows it works better than a dummy pill.

Long use is not proof of effect. That point applies to everything on this page.

How does Pneumococcinum work?

There is no accepted way to explain how it could work in the body. At usual strengths, nothing of the starting material is left to act.

Homeopathy rests on two ideas from the 1790s. The first is "like cures like". Say a substance can cause a set of symptoms; in tiny amounts, it is then used to treat them.

The second idea is about dilution. Repeated shaking and diluting are said to leave an imprint. The water or sugar carrier is said to hold it.

That second idea has no support in chemistry or physics as we know them today. Chemists can work out how far a dilution can go before nothing is left. 30C is far past that point.

So why do people feel better after taking it? Most coughs and colds clear up on their own. The placebo effect also plays a part, which means feeling better because you expect to.

A homeopathic visit brings extra time and attention too. None of that is dishonest, and it is not worthless to a person who feels helped. But it is not the same as the remedy acting on the infection.

What forms does Pneumococcinum come in?

Pneumococcinum comes as small sugar pellets or granules. You let them melt under the tongue. This is the most common form.

It also comes as a liquid in water and alcohol, given by drops. Another form is single-dose tubes of granules. You take a tube all at once.

Strengths are written as 9C, 30C, 200C or 1M. French labels use 9CH or 30CH. A higher number means more dilution steps, not more material.

Some pharmacies supply it only if a practitioner asks for it.

Where it comes from:

Nosodes are remedies made from disease products. Constantine Hering brought them into homeopathy in the 1830s. That was about forty years after Samuel Hahnemann founded the system.

Pneumococcinum came later. It joined French and wider European practice in the twentieth century. By then, labs could grow Streptococcus pneumoniae in a reliable way.

It is mostly used as a background remedy, not for a sudden illness. Homeopaths give it to people with repeated chest or ear infections.

It is a known but minor remedy. It is not a main pillar of the tradition.

What does Pneumococcinum help with?

• Repeated chest infections: This is the main traditional use. Homeopaths give it to people who catch one chest infection after another. They often pair it with a remedy chosen for the person, not the illness. No human trial has tested it for this. So there is nothing to show it cuts how often infections come back.
• Repeated middle ear infections in children: European homeopaths use it for children who get ear infection after ear infection. The evidence here is practitioner experience only. Children with repeated ear infections need a proper check-up. Missed or untreated infections can harm hearing and speech.
• Repeated sinus infections: It is given for the same reasons as the chest and ear uses. There are no trials. See a doctor if sinus symptoms last more than ten days. Also see a doctor if they get worse after seeming to improve.
• Lingering cough after a chest infection: It is sometimes given during slow recovery. The infection has cleared, but the cough drags on. Coughs after chest infections usually settle on their own over several weeks. That makes any remedy taken at that time look useful. No trial has told the two apart.
• Winter infection prevention (claimed): Some sellers promote nosodes to ward off winter bugs. Treat this claim with real care. A nosode is not a vaccine. It has never been shown to guard against pneumococcal infection. Never use it in place of the pneumococcal vaccine your doctor offers.

Which foods are rich in Pneumococcinum?

Pneumococcinum is not a nutrient and is not found in any food.

What are the side effects of Pneumococcinum?

• No effects at all, which is the usual experience
• A brief flare of symptoms in the first days, which homeopaths call an aggravation
• Stomach upset or bloating in people who react to lactose (milk sugar) in the pellets
• Rare allergic reaction to the pellet base, with rash, itching or swelling
• Delayed medical care, which is the real and serious risk

Good to know:

Direct side effects are very uncommon. At 30C the pellet is, in chemical terms, sugar, so there is little there to cause harm.

The risk that matters is different. If Pneumococcinum is used instead of antibiotics or instead of a vaccine, a treatable infection can turn into a severe one. Pneumococcal disease can lead to sepsis (a dangerous whole-body reaction to infection) and meningitis (infection around the brain), and both can kill.

That is why this remedy is rated as needing caution even though the pellets themselves are inert.

How much Pneumococcinum should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been established by research, because no trial has tested one. What follows is common practice, not a proven amount. Pellets: typically 3 to 5 pellets of a 30C strength, dissolved under the tongue. Frequency: often a single dose weekly or monthly for the repeated-infection use, rather than daily. Higher strengths such as 200C or 1M are usually given as one dose and then left alone for weeks. Because the pellets contain essentially no source material, taking more than suggested is unlikely to poison you. It is also unlikely to do anything useful.
• Best time of day: Any time of day. Homeopathic custom is to take it away from meals, strong flavours, coffee and toothpaste, usually about 15 to 30 minutes before or after. This is tradition, not a tested requirement.
• With or without food: Without food. Let the pellets dissolve under the tongue on a clean mouth rather than swallowing them with a drink.
• Time to effect: No reliable time can be given, because no trial has measured an effect. Practitioners often tell people to judge over weeks to a few months. If you are unwell now with an infection, do not spend that time waiting.
• How long to take it: Practitioners usually review after about one to three months, or after one infection season. Set yourself a clear stopping point before you start. If nothing has changed by then, stop and talk to a doctor about other options. Never continue a nosode while an active infection is getting worse. That is time you cannot get back.