What is Typhoidinum?
What is Typhoidinum?
Typhoidinum is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from Salmonella typhi, the germ that causes typhoid fever. It is also called the typhoid nosode, or Eberthinum.
Homeopaths have used it for fevers that drag on and leave you very tired. Some have promoted it as a way to prevent typhoid.
The source material is diluted again and again, with hard shaking at each step. At the usual 30C strength, almost none of the source is left in the pellet or drop you take.
Trials have not shown that homeopathic remedies beat placebo (a dummy treatment). No trial has tested Typhoidinum itself. Its use in homeopathy is real and long-standing, but long use is not proof that something works.
How does Typhoidinum work?
How is Typhoidinum meant to work?
There is no accepted explanation for how Typhoidinum could act on the body.
Homeopathy teaches that a substance that causes symptoms in a well person can ease those same symptoms once it is diluted and shaken. Nosodes use the same idea. They just start from disease material instead of a plant or mineral.
Chemistry and biology do not back this up. Past about 12C, a dilution is very unlikely to hold even one molecule (one tiny piece) of the source.
So why do some people feel better? The likely reasons are the placebo effect (feeling better because you expect to), natural recovery from a short illness, and the attention of a long consultation.
What forms does Typhoidinum come in?
What forms does Typhoidinum come in?
Most often you will find small sugar pellets that you let melt under your tongue.
Other forms include:
- liquid dilutions in alcohol and water, usually in a dropper bottle - single-dose tubes or powders, from a few pharmacies
Common strengths are 30C and 200C. You will see 6C and 12C less often.
The number counts the dilution steps used. A higher number means more diluted, not stronger.
Where it comes from:
Where does Typhoidinum come from?
It grew out of a 19th-century homeopathic interest in nosodes, which are remedies made from disease material.
Karl Eberth found the typhoid germ in 1880. That is where the other name, Eberthinum, comes from. The remedy turned up in homeopathic practice soon after, in the late 1800s.
Homeopathic reference books list it as a minor remedy for fevers that linger with deep tiredness.
It has no role in herbal medicine, Ayurveda or Chinese medicine. It belongs to one tradition only, and even there it is a back-up remedy rather than a staple.
If this is an emergency
Some reactions to Typhoidinum need urgent care. Call your local emergency number or go to an emergency department straight away — do not wait to see whether it passes.
Who should avoid Typhoidinum?
- Do not use if you or your child has a fever with severe headache, bad belly pain, confusion, or blood in the stool — see a doctor now, as this can be typhoid, which needs antibiotics
- Do not use if you are thinking of skipping the typhoid vaccine before travel; this remedy is not a vaccine and gives no protection against typhoid
- Do not use if you have been diagnosed with typhoid or any bacterial infection and are tempted to stop or delay your antibiotics
- Do not use if you are relying on it instead of seeing a doctor for a fever that has lasted more than three days
- Do not use if you are treating a baby under 12 months old who has a fever — a baby with a fever needs to be seen by a doctor
- Do not use if you have a weakened immune system, for example from chemotherapy, HIV or medicines that damp down immunity, without medical advice first
- Do not use if you cannot digest lactose (milk sugar) and only lactose-based pellets are available
- Do not use if you take disulfiram or metronidazole (medicines that react badly with alcohol), or you avoid alcohol, and only the liquid drops are on offer
- Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, unless your doctor or midwife has agreed
When should you see a doctor?
Get medical help the same day if you have a fever above 38C that will not settle, a fever lasting more than three days, or a fever after travel to a country where typhoid is common.
Go to an emergency department if you have severe belly pain, blood in your stool or vomit, confusion or drowsiness, a stiff neck, a rash that does not fade when pressed, or you cannot keep fluids down.
Also see a doctor before travelling, to arrange the typhoid vaccine and advice on safe food and water. Tell any doctor or pharmacist about every remedy you take, including homeopathic ones.
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