Sodes and Codes

a brief explanation of homeopathic nosodes and sarcodes…

Amazingly to me, some homeopaths won’t tell their clients what remedy they have given them.

“Wow!” is all I can say. I’m in the more information, the better camp.

Why would a homeopath not want their remedy to be known to the person taking it?

Some homeopaths think it’s just not relevant.

Some homeopaths don’t want their clients to get confused with such information, especially if they think the client will look it up and find unreliable information.

Some homeopaths think they know best and their expertise shouldn’t be questioned.

Some homeopaths don’t want their clients to be influenced with such information. (This is the only reason which holds any water for me — I can see how understanding the remedy and its actions might possibly interfere… but, not really — ultimately, the remedy works or it doesn’t… known or unknown. However, I do have a homeopath friend whose homeopath sends the remedies to my friend’s husband and he does whatever he does to cover up the names of the remedies so she has no idea what she is taking until the next time she meets with her homeopath. As a homeopath, I find this idea kind of fun and intriguing.)

The most common reason I have heard about though is that the homeopath thinks the client would freak out at hearing they were taking a remedy made from… fill in the blank: Arsenic, Mercury, Hemlock, or they would read that the pleasant sounding Belladonna is made from the deadly nightshade. All scary sounding things to be certain. (Read Anger and Fear for more information on the homeopathic benefits of otherwise dangerous substances.)

Other substances from which homeopathic remedies are made can sound pretty freaky, too. Take for instance, the group of remedies called nosodes.

Nosodes are powerful remedies made from microbe cultures, viruses and pathological secretions and excretions. Similar to the power found in poisonous substances, there is likewise great power in bacteria and diseased tissue. You won’t find these remedies on your local health food store shelves; they are generally only available through physicians and professional homeopaths.

When I first learned about nosodes, they kind of freaked me out. I actually thought to myself that I would be a homeopath who just worked with “regular” homeopathic remedies. Then I was suggested one to take by my homeopath and, boom!, any questions I had as to their safety and efficacy were vanquished.

One nosode I have written about before is Ambra grisea, made from the secretion from the intestine of the sperm whale… here, here, and here. 

Bowel nosodes are a sub-group of these remedies. Bowel nosodes are made from pure cultures of bacterial flora of the intestinal tract. Bowel nosodes were originally discovered by Dr. Edward Bach (of Bach Flower Essence fame) while working as a bacteriologist in a hospital in London in the early 1900s. As legend has it, he got to the point where when he saw a high level of certain bacteria in a patient’s stool, he was able to say what symptoms brought the patient to the hospital in the first place. (For a little introduction to the Bowel nosodes, see here.)

Remember, with all properly prepared homeopathic remedies, nothing of the original substance remains… unless you are taking very low potencies. (For more information on potency, see here.)

Sarcodes are another strange-sounding group of remedies out there in the world of homeopathy. Sarcodes are made from healthy tissues. One example of these would be endocrine glands (thyroid, pituitary. etc.) made from the gland of a healthy sheep or calf, for example, and prepared into a homeopathic remedy. Homeopathic sarcodes have been used for a very long time as a means of rebuilding tissue and helping to repair damaged organs.

Again, sounds kind of yucky but this sort of thing has been used in conventional medicine for years, too -- Armour thyroid, for example is made from dessicated porcine thyroid gland. So, similar but different because, of course, the homeopathic version is diluted and succussed.

Like all homeopathic remedies, nosodes and sarcodes should be respected for their power and used judiciously, but fear should be set aside. A well indicated nosode or sarcode suggested by a professional homeopath can play a very important role in healing.

There will be no keeping of the secrets around here. If you have any questions about any of this, book a free 15 minute phone call and ask away.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits