How to take a homeopathic remedy (pellets and liquid doses)

​Pills:
These come in tubes. To take a pill, invert the tube and twist the cap. A couple pellets will come out into the cap. Keep twisting until the number of pellets you need have fallen into the cap. Take the cap off and drop the pellets into your (or whoever-is-taking-it’s) mouth. Don’t let the remedy touch your hand or the patient’s hand; some of the dose seems to rub off this way.

Let the remedy dissolve in your mouth. No need to chew or swallow whole.

If this is easier to watch than read, then you can view the YouTube video below where I show all the steps:

Liquids:
I prescribe in dropper bottles with vodka and water. I fill the bottle with 75% vodka, although for it to be shelf stable it really only needs to be 60%. I just find it easier to eye-ball 75% than 60%! To take a liquid dose, just drop the prescribed number of doses on the tongue.

To make your own, you do not need to add vodka or other alcohol, but you will need to make it fresh every few days if you don’t add alcohol as a stabilizer. To make the liquid preparation, just add a few pellets to water or your water/alcohol solution. The pellets don't have to dissolve; you can take a dose right away.

I like the dropper bottle method because the dose is very exact (with teaspoons or tablespoons, the dose will always be slightly different each time) and with alcohol as a stabilizer, the remedy can be kept wherever is most convenient. Without alcohol, the remedy should be kept in the fridge, where remembering to take it may not be very easy. However, every homeopath has their own preferred method, so stick with whatever works best for you and your homeopath.

When to take remedies, and with what:

Away from food: Generally best practice is to take remedies at least 15 minutes away from food or drinks other than water. But this is not hard and fast, so don’t fret if you find that difficult to comply with. You can take them with other medications and at any time of day (unless specifically directed by your homeopath of course!). If you are someone who is always worse in the morning, or after a meal, etc it's best to take your remedy when you are feeling well. So if you feel worse in the morning, take it in the evening. If you feel worse after a meal, try to take it at least a few hours before a meal.

Coffee/mint: You may have heard or been told to stop mint and coffee while undergoing homeopathic treatment. The idea behind this suggestion is that you don’t want to be taking in other strong medicinal influences while taking a homeopathic remedy. While this is common practice in the homeopathic community, I don’t particularly ascribe to it. Patients are often on remedies for months or years and giving up coffee for that long just seems cruel to me, and patients are often taking heavy medications or undergoing other “strong medicinal” influences like dental work, chiropractic work, etc. without seemingly ill effects. If you are very sensitive, you may notice your remedy seems to stop working after your cup of joe in the morning, in which case you can try re-dosing your remedy right after your cup of coffee or reduce your coffee. See what works best for your body!