What is Sabina?

Sabina is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from savine, a low creeping shrub whose Latin name is Juniperus sabina. Homeopaths give it most often for heavy bleeding from the womb and for low back pain that spreads to the hips.

It is a single remedy. That means it is made from one source plant, not a blend of many. The plant is diluted again and again, so at 30C, a common strength, there is no savine left in the pill.

Trials do not show that Sabina works better than a dummy pill. Long use inside one tradition is not proof that a remedy works. This page reports both things side by side, and it keeps them apart.

The raw plant is a different matter. Savine oil is a known poison and has killed people. Please read the safety section below before you buy any form of this plant.

How does Sabina work?

Homeopaths match a remedy to your symptoms by looking at what the raw plant does in poisoning. Raw savine makes the womb bleed and cramp, and it brings low back pain. So homeopaths give Sabina to people who report those same complaints.

The plant is then diluted step by step, with shaking at each step. At 30C, not one molecule of savine is left. There is no known way for such a pill to act on the body.

Studies of homeopathy as a whole do not show an effect beyond placebo (a dummy pill). Relief that people feel is best explained by time, rest, kind care and belief. None of that is proof that the remedy itself did the work.

What forms does Sabina come in?

Sabina comes as small sugar pellets, as pressed pills, and as liquid drops. Liquid drops are usually made with alcohol.

The strengths sold most often are 6C, 30C and 200C. Some shops also sell 3X and 6X, which are weaker dilutions.

Mother tincture is the raw plant extract. It is not a homeopathic dilution, it still holds savine oil, and it is not safe to take on your own.

Where it comes from:

Savine grows across southern Europe and parts of Asia. Folk healers used it for centuries to bring on a late period and to end a pregnancy. Many women died from it, and old medical books record those deaths.

Homeopaths began testing the plant in the early 1800s, in the era of Samuel Hahnemann. Sabina has stayed in homeopathic materia medica (the reference books of remedies) ever since. That gives it a long, steady place in one tradition.

What does Sabina help with?

• Heavy or long periods: This is the main use in homeopathic books. The picture is bright red blood with dark clots, plus pain from the back through to the front. No human trial of Sabina for heavy periods has been published that we could find, so treat this as tradition only. Heavy bleeding needs a doctor to find the cause.
• Bleeding after childbirth or miscarriage: Old homeopathic texts list Sabina for bleeding that will not settle after a birth or a loss. This kind of bleeding can be life threatening and can turn bad fast. Call for medical help at once. Do not try to manage it at home with any remedy.
• Low back pain that spreads to the hips and thighs: Homeopaths pick Sabina when back pain runs from the base of the spine round to the front, often with period pain. There is no trial evidence for this use. Simple heat, movement and a check by a doctor are better first steps.
• Small warts in the genital area: Homeopathic books list Sabina for soft warts in this area. No human trials support it. Warts here can be caused by a virus that spreads by sex, so get them looked at by a doctor or a sexual health clinic.
• Gout and joint pain: Some texts list Sabina for hot, sore joints, mainly in the feet. This use is minor even inside homeopathy, and no human trials back it. Gout has good, tested drug treatments, so ask your doctor first.

What are the side effects of Sabina?

• Often nothing at all from 30C or higher pills
• Mild upset stomach
• Feeling sick or being sick
• A short flare of your own symptoms in the first days
• Rash or itch, if you react to the pill base
• Sugar load from the pellets, which matters if you have diabetes
• Kidney harm, from the raw plant or its oil
• Very heavy womb bleeding, from the raw plant or its oil
• Miscarriage, from the raw plant or its oil

Good to know:

Pills at 30C or higher rarely cause harm, because they hold no savine. Most reports are of mild stomach upset or a brief symptom flare. Some people react to the lactose or alcohol in the product, not to the remedy.

The real danger sits with the raw plant. Savine oil has killed people who swallowed it to try to end a pregnancy. It can cause violent vomiting, kidney failure and heavy bleeding.

Never swallow savine oil, savine tea or savine leaves. Never put the oil on broken skin. If someone has swallowed the raw plant or its oil, get emergency help at once.

How much Sabina should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no dose set by science. No trial has found a dose of Sabina that works better than a dummy pill. In common practice, people take 3 to 5 pellets of a 30C pill, once or twice a day. Drops are usually 5 drops in a little water. These numbers come from custom, not from proof. Never take mother tincture or low strengths such as 1X to 6X unless a qualified prescriber gives them to you. These can still hold savine oil, which is poisonous.
• Best time of day: Any time of day. Many people take it in the morning and again at night. Keep the times steady so you remember.
• With or without food: Usually taken away from food, about 15 minutes before or after eating. This is a custom in homeopathy, not a proven rule.
• Time to effect: No reliable time frame exists, because no effect beyond a dummy pill has been shown. If you feel better, it may be the illness settling on its own.
• How long to take it: Keep any trial short. Two weeks is long enough to see if you feel better. Stop and see a doctor if nothing changes, or if bleeding or pain gets worse. Do not keep taking it for months in place of a check-up.