What is Vaccininum?

Vaccininum is a homeopathic remedy made from cowpox vaccine lymph. That is the fluid once used to give smallpox shots. Its Latin name is Vaccinia virus, and some labels call it Cowpox vaccine nosode.

A nosode is a homeopathic remedy made from a disease product or from a vaccine. The starting fluid is sterilised, then watered down step by step and shaken between steps. At 30C, the strength most often sold, no molecule of the source is left in the pill.

Homeopaths have given it for fever, rash or tiredness said to come on after a smallpox shot. Here is the plain verdict: it is not a vaccine, and trials do not show it works better than a dummy pill (placebo). Long use in a tradition is not proof that something works, and that holds for this remedy too.

How does Vaccininum work?

There is no known way for it to act on the body, because at 30C nothing of the source is left.

Homeopathy works from an idea called "like cures like". A substance that causes certain signs in a well person is meant to ease those same signs in a sick one. Makers believe the shaking step leaves an imprint in the water after the source is gone.

That idea does not match what we know about chemistry or the body. No test has shown such an imprint. When trials give real pills and dummy pills, people do about the same on both.

What forms does Vaccininum come in?

Small round pills you let melt under the tongue. This is the most common form.

Other forms are liquid drops, single-dose paper tubes of pills, and small granules for children. Strengths on the label run from 6C and 12C up to 30C, 200C and higher. The larger the number, the more times it has been watered down.

Where it comes from:

Nosodes came into homeopathy in the 1830s, through Constantine Hering. He prepared remedies from disease material and from vaccine fluid.

Vaccininum appears in homeopathic books from the 1800s onward, mostly for complaints said to follow a smallpox shot. It has always been a minor remedy, not a main one. It has no use outside homeopathy.

What does Vaccininum help with?

• Fever or chills said to follow a smallpox shot: This is the old book use for the remedy. No human trial has tested it for fever after a shot. A mild fever after a shot usually settles on its own in a day or two. If a fever is high, or lasts more than three days, see a doctor.
• Rash or a sore arm after a shot: Homeopaths have given it for a rash or a sore, red arm after a smallpox shot. The choice rests on the source of the remedy, not on test results. No study shows it helps a rash clear faster.
• Tiredness in the days after a shot: Some homeopaths give it when a person feels flat or worn out after a shot. This kind of tiredness tends to fade on its own within a few days. Nothing has been tested to show the remedy speeds that up.
• Swollen glands near the shot site: Old texts list swollen glands near the arm as a reason to pick this remedy. There is no trial evidence for that use. Glands that stay big, feel hard, or keep growing need a doctor's eye.
• Claimed stand-in for a vaccine (not supported): Some sellers hint that a nosode can take the place of a shot. That claim is not supported by any evidence. This remedy gives no protection from smallpox, measles or any other infection, and health bodies warn against using it this way.

What are the side effects of Vaccininum?

• No direct effects expected at 30C, since the pill holds only sugar
• Upset stomach or wind in people who cannot handle lactose (milk sugar)
• A short flare of symptoms, which homeopaths call an aggravation
• Mouth or throat irritation from the alcohol in liquid drops
• Rare allergy to the pill base, with itching or a rash
• Harm from delay if it is used instead of real care

Good to know:

Direct harm from this remedy is very unlikely. At 30C there is nothing in it but sugar and, in drops, a little alcohol.

The real risk is what you might not do. Using it in place of a vaccine, or instead of seeing a doctor for a fever or a spreading rash, can let a serious illness run on. That risk is the reason this page is marked caution.

Low strengths such as 3X or 6X may still hold trace material. If your immune system is weak, ask your doctor before you use any nosode.

How much Vaccininum should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been set by trials, because no trial of this remedy has been done. In practice, homeopaths often give 30C as three to five pills under the tongue. That may be a single dose, or one dose once or twice a day for a few days. Higher strengths such as 200C are usually given once and then left alone. Follow the label on the pack you buy, and follow your doctor's advice for the underlying problem.
• Best time of day: Any time of day. Homeopaths often suggest a clean mouth, so away from food, drink, toothpaste and mint.
• With or without food: Between meals. The usual advice is to take it about 15 to 30 minutes before or after food or drink. Let the pills melt rather than chewing them.
• Time to effect: No reliable time can be given, because the remedy has not been shown to do more than a dummy pill. Users often report a change within a day or two, which is also how fast most after-shot symptoms fade on their own.
• How long to take it: Keep it short. A few days is the usual span in practice. If the problem has not shifted in three days, stop and think again. Do not keep taking it week after week for a problem that is not getting better. Anything that is getting worse needs a doctor, not another dose.