I recently realized I have to eat my hat … or rather, Samuel Hahnemann’s beret.
In the early years of my practice, I was reluctant to consider combination remedies. Due to my classical training, the idea of combining several homeopathic medicines for a specific condition sounded almost heretical.
Why? I was taught that using multiple medicines together could potentially compromise the effectiveness of each individual medicine. I was taught to use one medicine, and one medicine only.
However, in the years that followed, my thinking changed.
I started using two or three medicines in the same schedule myself and observed better success rates. Then, I witnessed the tremendous power of certain combined medicines as described in the Banerji and French protocols. I’m also in a unique position to hear success stories from my students and clients regarding their use of the combination remedies that noteworthy homeopathic pharmacies have created.
In other words, can you pass the butter? I have a hat to eat.
Rethinking My Position
Permission to speak freely? I was hesitant about leaning on combination remedies because I worried their use would bypass what I teach about choosing the tightest-fitting homeopathic medicine(s).
You see, some combination remedies can include 8, 10, or even 12 different medicines, all in different potencies. That is a lot of remedies all in one dose. My concern was that it could potentially undermine people’s desire to learn more deeply how to use these medicines and understand the character of each medicine. If we’re going to provide our own health care and be autonomous healers in our families, we must endeavor to grasp the totality of homeopathy — both its principles and its medicines.
BUT (and it’s a big “but”), I keep hearing personally from my clients and students — and in large numbers — about how useful these remedies are. People report to me, “Oh my gosh, it works! It’s so great.” So, let’s face it, I’ve got to be realistic about their use.
(And take another bite of my hat.)
Certain Combination Remedies Provide an Influential Introduction to Homeopathy
In fact, when certain, well-developed combination remedies are effective, they provide an undeniable service to sufferers. PLUS, I have come to realize that they are an effective introduction to the power of homeopathy. These convenient combinations, available at many common drug and grocery stores, serve as an entry point for those unfamiliar with homeopathy, encouraging them to learn more.
I also should add that these combination remedies aren’t just slapped together willy-nilly. Manufacturing pharmacies have thoroughly researched their formulations to provide the most effective medicines for the most commonly experienced symptoms in a given situation.
Let’s Look at ColdCalm®
For instance, one of our frequently discussed homeopathic medicines for colds is ColdCalm® by Boiron. For many families, it’s their proven go-to for effective and side-effect-free cold intervention. My son even successfully used it for his dog (as you can read in this previous blog post).
In addition to their goal of softening symptoms and reducing the duration of their cold, I also encourage cold sufferers to read the ingredients with an educational goal in mind. Reading the back of the box is a capital way to learn more about homeopathy.
Boiron has listed each homeopathic remedy contained in ColdCalm®, along with the aspect of the common cold they address.
It’s virtually a micro-materia medica on the back of the box. Sufferers can easily pinpoint which medicine successfully tackled the causes behind their most prevalent symptoms by familiarizing themselves with the specific keynotes of each remedy.
They may, then, consider purchasing that single remedy to have on hand for the next time they experience that specific symptom alone.
Indeed, the combination remedies provide a tremendous way to learn more about homeopathy!
Side note: Don’t forget, when you order directly from Boiron’s website, you’ll receive 20% off your order by using my name as the discount code (joette) at checkout. For your peace of mind, let me clearly state that I don’t receive any remuneration for your purchases. I believe that receiving affiliate payments would create a conflict of interest with my goals as an educator.
ColdCalm is not the only combination remedy Boiron manufactures. I hear feedback on other products such as SleepCalm®, StressCalm®, AllergyCalm® … and the list goes on.
And Boiron is not the only respected homeopathic pharmacy offering combination remedies. Hyland’s offers the highly regarded BioPlasma®, a combination of all twelve cell salts. OHM Pharma (a non-retail homeopathic pharmacy exclusively available to professionals, students and clients) offers many as well. I also hear excellent reviews from my students on the complexes developed by Newton Homeopathics. And I tend to agree.
(Last bite of my hat …)
An important underlying message in this post is that science is never settled. We should always be open. We should always consider, reconsider and question what we believe and be our own devil's advocate. We must learn and grow. In fact, if you read the very first of my blog posts, you’ll see I was quite classical in my approach. I leave all those posts there so that you can see my evolution as a homeopath (and they also show that in homeopathy, there’s generally more than one way to butter a biscuit).
You know that I now espouse Practical Homeopathy®, and I must admit, these combination remedies are quite practical! So, I have faith in you, my friends. I know that while you will enjoy the ease and efficacy of the combination remedies, you will also continue to develop your understanding and skills in properly utilizing homeopathic medicines.
Pass on the good news of Practical Homeopathy®!
Warmly,
P.S. I encourage all devoted students of homeopathy to own a good materia medica as the perfect place to look up more information on the ingredients contained in combination remedies.
There are several available online for free, but most of them are written in a technical style. Their information may be difficult for new homeopathy users to absorb at a glance, especially in an emergency.
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I appreciate the information on the use of combination of Homoeo remedies for certain acutes or even for chronic conditions. I personally prescribe combination of four Gem elixirs and combination of five Bach flower remedies (Rescue Remedy) for most of the acute conditions like cough, cold, running nose, tiredness or exhaustion after travel and the like. They work wonderfully well like antibiotics (or even better), but no side effects and improved resistance to recurrence of the same. One needs to be open to try and explore new approaches of healing.
Please tell me what you’re using, in the Gem elixirs, Nagaraj.
And yes, Rescue Remedy is one of our best.
Joette , we are all , in this group , I believe , open to learning and growing. You model this beautifully , but I love that it seems you take your time and really assess and consider new ways .
I’ve also loved ohms cold and flu and sinus combos . We’re so fortunate we have these great options .
I am new, new to Homeopathy with Joette. Have been keeping up with emails to Mighty Members. This blog is very informative about combination remedies and different formulators of combination remedies. Thank you so much. I just sent a link to the Boiron site to a friend who is traveling and has been dealing with allergies; hoping if she needs she can find a retailer where she is located.
Dear Joette,
Thank you for your honesty and for sharing your own learning experiences. I was first introduced to homeopathy via Hyland’s Poison Oak/Ivy Remedy combo. It worked so well that I did not quit my job as a veterinary technician and worked there another 10 years. Yes, my poison oak reaction was so constant and severe that I was considering quitting. Years later, I read on your blog about Apis mell for bee/wasp stings and I was tired of going to rapid care for post wasp sting cellulitis and being given the prednisone tablets. I ran into a friend from church as I was getting the Apis and showed her my sting which was the size of a saucer. The next day, at church, she asked me about it, and I showed her my arm with the now almost non-existent sting spot. She, too, was impressed.
Keep up the good work that God has called you to. Some day, I may be able to afford to take some of your courses to dive deeper.
Until then, pls take advantage of my work here.
I’m heartened that you’re using it well.
Thank you for reinforcing what I have found to be true. I use both individual and combinations.
Hi. I use remedies almost exclusively for my cats and dogs. Some herbal things there but mostly remedies. I really like Boiron’s arnica arthritis remedy for my retired Yellow Lab. He has a neuological issue called LarPar which is Laryngeal Paralysis. I use an herbal tonic but also several remedies together for nerve pain and also breathing issues due to the nerve degeneration. It sure keeps him comfy and I think it is keeping his condition from deteriorating for now.
Your website and blog and posts have been such a big help to me! I have learned so much and applied so much to our household. Thank you for the discount deal with Boiron. Every little bit helps!
Just know that you and your wisdom and much appreciated Joette. I am sure you have helped many, many folks and critters over the years.
Love this article. Thank you for writing about it, specifically in relation to your classical training. I also have had some amazing results with combination remedies.
thank you for that,
most appreciated as i too found these multi-remedy paks a bit suspicious, you just cured THAT!
cheers to learning
Antonia
I have an interesting story to share about ColdCalm. About ten years ago, our family was visiting Mexico City for Christmas when my wife and I both came down with a rather severe cold or flu. We had brought a pack of ColdCalm with us, but it wasn’t enough for two people, so my wife ended up using the entire supply.
Fortunately, I also had an Ainsworths 42 Essential Remedies Kit (30C) and a Helios Emergency Kit (200C) with me. I was able to find seven of the nine remedies contained in ColdCalm within these kits – some in 30C potency and others in 200C, which are much stronger than those in the original formula. To administer them, I combined the selected remedies in water for each dose.
After taking two or three liquid doses over the course of a single day, I went to bed and woke up completely recovered the next morning. I later repeated the same experiment when my son caught a cold – and the result was exactly the same.
Since then, we’ve always kept this formula premixed entirely from 200C components in poppy-seed form, stored in 1.5 mL plastic centrifuge tubes, both at home and when traveling. Usually, it takes no more than two doses to stop a cold or flu in its tracks. We even gave this combination a humorous internal name: “Devil’s Mix.”
‘Delightful story that shores up my arguement precisely. You figured it out by simply investigating and taking charge.
You’re a good husband and dad.
Tell your family I said so.
You deserve extra credit for self-sufficiency, intellegence and alpha male moxie.
That’s a wonderful testimonial! Can you list the 7 medicines you used for your formula? I’m sure your family is happy to know their cold or flu will be rid of quickly ????
Wonderful blog — thank you!! That’s it exactly for me — mini materia medicas. From Coldcalm, I was able to figure out that Kali Bich 6x was magical for helping my roommate’s almost-choking phlegm.
Also, thank you for leaving up all the old blog posts. Seeing your progression in thinking, as well as diff ways to address things, [haha — “ways to butter a biscuit” — good one! ☺] has been invaluable for me.
Joette, you are a God send for us, I love your blogs and have been a mighty member for a few years. I am healing myself and all my loved ones from the advice you give on your website and of course I have done the Gateway to homeopathy 1 & 2 which is a great foundation. Thank you for all that you keep doing for humanity so generously ????
Thank you for your kind words, Neena.
Keep your studied up.
How many is too many remedies (not necessarily taken all at once) during the course of a day or a period of time? For instance, I’m taking Calc Fluor/Calc Phos/Silicea (all at once) to address some dental issues, and Arnica Montana/Hamamelis Virginiana (all at once) to address varicose veins. Those 2 protocols are taken at different times, but five different remedies are being used. Thank you for continuing to share such helpful information!
Its not unusual using this Practical method to incorporate 2 protocols, just as you have.
Thank you for your post! I have found that Sinus Calm, also a mixture of homeopathic remedies, has been a godsend for my reoccurrent sinus issues along with head pressure from cervicall instability. I’m so thankful that there is homeopathy as a great answer to many prescription drugs without the side effects. It has helped myself and my dog!
I love reading your blog posts!
It takes a very humble person to admit that they could have done things differently in the past. We’re all human and we learn things every day. I appreciate knowing that you have evolved in your understanding and practice of homeopathy!
Years ago I bought a Hyland’s combination tablet for Colic for myself, because most of my adult life, I’ve had quite severe symptoms due to I.B.S., and for a time I was having horrific abdominal cramping. I didn’t know how to choose remedies on my own, so seeing that label made sense to me. And like you mentioned it was an education. That colic tablet was like a miracle to me! Fortunately, I didn’t need to rely on it for very long , so the bottle sat unused for many years. Then in 2023, I had a cat diagnosed with intestinal lymphoma, and she was vomiting quite a bit. I tried Nux vomica, and another combination homeopathic from Homeopet, but neither one of those helped her significantly. After some thought, I realized that the major cause of her vomiting was in her intestines, and not her stomach, so I gave her those colic tablets and again, another miracle! As long as I gave her those with each meal, she could eat and feel comfortable without vomiting. Unfortunately, I ran out of those tablets and the new combination contained acacia gum, which also triggered vomiting. She had to be on particular food because she had a reaction to all types of gums that were in food or supplements. It’s a long story of what happened after running out of the colic tablets, but after a few weeks of trying to find the exact medicines and potencies, I lost her. Mainly because I was forced to give her a pharmaceutical drug , and I know in my heart that that’s what caused her death. I was devastated and still feel that way when I think about her! How I wish I had bought a huge stock pile of them when I have the opportunity. During that ordeal, I found a company called. The Homeopathy Store that agreed to make the medicines on special order. Unfortunately for my cat, the process took a bit of time. Sorry for this long post, but that is one combination product that made a big difference to me and I don’t hesitate to take combination products at all. In fact, years ago I never knew that could be an issue!!
Thank you for this article, Joette! It motivated me to try some of the Boiron combination remedies and WOW, one of them dropped my awful, persistent cough down to almost nothing in less than 8 hours. This is the most striking effect I’ve ever seen for an acute remedy. I’m doing as you suggest and taking a look at what’s in there to see if I can isolate the most likely active constituents. The potencies are much lower than I’m used to using, and it’s really interesting to see how effective they can be. Thanks again for sharing your wisdom! I love your content and am always inspired by you.
‘Happy to hear, Emily.
What is the best approach when using a banerji protocol when the condition has improved but doesn’t seem to want to fully resolve (impetigo). It has been approx 4-5 weeks. Should I keep going or try the secondary protocol?
Without taking the case to know the degree of suffering compared to how its presenting at the present, its difficult to comment.
Having said this, if improvement is enjoyed, it behooves us to allow the medicine its full ability over the fullest amount of time.That can be as long as as 2 months.
Thank you. I was getting discouraged and second guessing myself but I will stay the course for now. On another note where can one purchase the Robin Murphy materia medica or repertory that you always refer to?
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/MetaRepertory-Mind-Body-Clinical-Index-Homeopathic-Remedies/dp/9076189579?crid=FKE5CDYGM76E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7_VdQ78zlcqyoZtExt0UaAPn-3-Ry8UrF__1CpU9j4WVQ8V5L7o7bZqLrh7ufv0eXf5oQjl49_drnu5qQsGWXCI_C_jj7MjE3C1xZp1d1NY.9eRAm8veNCTL9HxInAWn99d7FRnWCFKkEEf7dxzZMTw&dib_tag=se&keywords=robin+murphy+repertory+4th+edition&qid=1760525172&sprefix=robin+murphy+%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-4
And which materia medica do you recommend?
If you want a desk top reference, mine is here: https://joetteslearningcenter.com/product/joettes-materia-medica/
Dr Boericke found here online for free: http://www.homeoint.org/books/boericmm/
Dr Phatack found here online for free: https://homeopathybooks.in/concise-materia-medica-by-s-r-phatak/
Dr James Tyler Kent found here online for free: https://www.materiamedica.info/en/materia-medica/james-tyler-kent/index