Prunus spinosa
Quick Facts
- What it is: A homeopathic single remedy made from blackthorn (sloe) and diluted until no plant material is left.
- Main uses: Stabbing eye pain, Headache around the eye, Bladder pressure and slow urine flow
- Best for: Traditional homeopathic prescribing only, with no proven use
- Active ingredients: None at 6C and above, Blackthorn flavonoids (plant pigments) in the starting material, Tannins (bitter, drying plant compounds) in the starting material
- Forms: 6C, 12C and 30C pellets, Alcohol-based liquid drops, Low strengths such as 1X and mother tincture
- Time to effect: No reliable time frame; it has not been shown to work better than a placebo.
- Side effects: Almost none from the dilution itself; the main risk is putting off care you need.
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What is Prunus spinosa?
Prunus spinosa is a single homeopathic remedy made from the blackthorn shrub, also called sloe. Homeopaths have used it mainly for sharp, shooting pain in the eye and for bladder trouble.
The remedy is serially diluted. That means the plant is diluted step by step, with hard shaking at each step. At the common 30C strength, none of the plant is left in the pellet or drop.
Trials have not shown that homeopathic remedies work better than a placebo (a dummy pill). Its standing comes from homeopathic custom, and long use is not proof that something works.
How does Prunus spinosa work?
There is no accepted way for this remedy to act on the body, because at normal strengths no plant material is left.
Homeopathy rests on two old ideas. The first is "like cures like", so a plant that could cause a symptom is used to treat it. The second is that shaking during each dilution step leaves some effect behind in the water.
That second idea has no support in chemistry or physics. When people feel better after taking it, the likely reasons are placebo effect, normal healing over time, or other care they are getting.
What forms does Prunus spinosa come in?
Most products are sugar pellets that melt under the tongue, sold as 6C, 12C or 30C. Liquid drops in a water and alcohol base are also common.
Some pellets are made with lactose (milk sugar). Check the label if milk sugar upsets you.
Low strengths such as 1X, 2X or a mother tincture still contain real plant material. These are far less common and call for more care.
Where it comes from:
Blackthorn grows in hedgerows across Europe and western Asia. Folk use of the flowers as a mild laxative and of the sloe fruit in jams and gin goes back centuries.
Homeopaths added Prunus spinosa in the 1800s. Old remedy handbooks list it for stabbing eye pain and for a full, aching bladder.
It has always been a small remedy. It is used far less often than staples such as Arnica or Belladonna.
Who should avoid Prunus spinosa?
- Do not use if you have sudden severe eye pain, blurred sight, halos around lights or a red hard eye — this can be acute glaucoma (a sudden rise in pressure inside the eye) and needs emergency eye care the same day.
- Do not use if you cannot pass urine at all, or have a swollen painful lower belly with a full bladder — go to an emergency department.
- Do not use if you are thinking of stopping, delaying or lowering a prescribed medicine in order to take it instead.
- Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding and the product is a mother tincture or a low strength such as 1X to 3X, because these still contain plant material that has not been tested in pregnancy.
- Do not use if you are avoiding alcohol: in recovery, in pregnancy, with liver disease, or while taking disulfiram or metronidazole — and the product is an alcohol-based liquid.
- Do not use if you have lactose intolerance (trouble digesting milk sugar) and the pellets are made with lactose.
- Do not use if you are giving it to a child under 2 years old without a doctor's advice, and never let a small child handle loose pellets, which can choke them.
- Do not use if you plan to crush or eat blackthorn seed kernels, which can release cyanide, a poison.
When should you see a doctor?
Get emergency help now if you have sudden eye pain with sight loss, a red painful eye with vomiting, or you cannot pass urine at all.
See a doctor within a day or two if you have burning when you pass urine, blood in your urine, fever with back pain, a new or severe headache, or pain that keeps getting worse.
Also see a doctor if a symptom has not settled after about a week, or if you get a rash, swelling of the face or lips, or trouble breathing after taking any remedy.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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