Ruminating on Remedies, My thoughts on homeopathy

6/20/2025

A bunch of…

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a quick look at what I affectionately call "rhoids"

They are very common. 1 in 20 Americans and almost half of people older than 50 have them (Fox et al. 2014). Sometimes they are embarrassing to talk about. There’s no such thing as an embarrassing topic in my world. This stuff is important and needs to be talked about!! They are sometimes painful. They are objectively a pain in the rear!

I’m talking about hemorrhoids, also known as piles, which “are tortuous masses of dilated and inflamed veins situated in the ano-rectal area” (Rahmathullah 2003). These can be inside the rectum (internal) or outside (external), or, if you’re really unlucky, the internal hemorrhoids can prolapse and can actually then be on the outside.

They can bleed. They can become irritated. They can be irritating. They can be painful. They can burst. These veins are at risk of becoming thrombosed if a blood clot forms inside the hemorrhoid. I have been told that it is at this point that the bearer of such piles doesn’t care who is in the operating room when these get addressed!

How does this little pile of goodies arrive in the nether regions? I’m glad you asked…
Apparently, “everyone has them, the pillow-like clusters of veins that lie just beneath the mucous membranes lining the lowest part of the rectum and the anus” (Harvard Health Publishing 2019). The problematic part shows up if these veins get enlarged.

How do they get enlarged?
Chronic constipation and straining at toilet. Pregnancy: up to 35% (Lawrence and McLaren 2020). Sitting on the toilet for long periods of time. (If this is a thing for you, you may want to leave your phone by the sink to keep things moving along.) Heavy lifting. Being overweight. A couple of other possible causes: uterine displacement and pelvic inflammatory diseases (Enache and Soare 2022).

The internal hemorrhoids are often painless, though they may bleed. The external hemorrhoids are easily irritated, as one might imagine and as Harvard Health Publishing tells us, “When a hemorrhoid protrudes, it can collect small amounts of mucus and tiny stool particles that may cause an irritation called pruritis (a tingling or faintly burning skin sensation that prompts a person to rub or scratch; an itch (Venes 2017) ani (around the anus). Wiping constantly to try to relieve the itching can worsen the problem.” That indeed sounds like a problem. Maybe somebody should invent some 4-wheel drive toilet paper to get around all the obstacles!

Could it be something other than hemorrhoids you’re feeling down there?
You bet. Click here and read the “Differential Diagnosis” paragraph. Fox (et al. 2014) recommends that even if hemorrhoids can be seen on examination, patients with rectal bleeding who are at risk of colorectal cancer should still undergo colonoscopy to exclude cancer as the etiology.

What can help?
Drinking lots of water and eating foods high in fiber to help prevent constipation and straining during bowel movements. Avoiding harsh toilet paper. Some companies seem to take the “paper” word too seriously! Since we don’t have a soft, “off-road” toilet paper yet, here are a few options to help keep the nether regions clean:

Witch hazel wipes* can soothe the area.
Bidets can help keep things clean.
These famed Japanese toilets* are helpful, or, they even make a little handheld unit if you don’t want to invest in the entire toilet.

If things really go south, western medicine offers surgical removal or non-surgical treatment for non-thrombosed hemorrhoids.

Why witch hazel wipes?
I first learned about these lovely little things after the birth of my first son. Witch hazel is an astringent, meaning it can cause tissues to tighten or shrink and it has been shown to be beneficial on pain, bleeding and swelling, as well as preventing recurrence (Admuthe et al. 2025).

Witch hazel has another name: Hamamelis virginiana and it is, wait for it… a homeopathic remedy! In fact, this homeopathic remedy is part of the Banerji protocol for varicose veins which is relevant here because hemorrhoids are essentially varicose veins of the rectum.

The full protocol is Hamamelis 200c mixed with Arnica 3c taken twice daily. If things are particularly acute and uncomfortable, repeat this every 3 hours.

A hemorrhoid which may respond well to Hamamelis may be chronic; external or internal; large and swollen and it may disturb your sleep.

Why is Arnica part of this protocol? I thought Arnica was for sore muscles?
Well, part of the reason Arnica is used for sore muscles is because Arnica can help reduce inflammation and pain and bruising and trauma. If you think those little dangly bits don’t suffer any trauma, think again! Arnica is also helpful to improve circulation which can definitely help because a hemorrhoid is part of the vascular structure (remember from above, a hemorrhoid is an inflamed vein).

Are there any readily available homeopathic remedies that can help?
Absolutely, though the Ham/Arn combination is a very good place to start.

Boiron* makes a couple of combos, all with the name HemCalm. Each of these contain similar, but slightly different ingredients. HemCalm pellets and tablets contain the following remedies for the following reasons (looking at Murphy’s high level symptoms in the top row, as well as their small rubrics (unique symptoms) in the bottom row)**:

Aesculus hippocastanum (aka “horse chestnut” which, like "witch hazel" is also used traditionally in a tincture form)
- Hemorrhoids that are: chronic; external or internal; large and swollen; protruding, grape-like; worse after walking or wiping.
- with lower back pain; with chills up and down the back; heat makes them worse; worse at menopause; with splinter-like pain — like sticks; worse standing
Hamamelis, in addition to what’s listed above, may have hemorrhoids that are bursting; accompany general debility; during or after pregnancy; pulsating and may be accompanied by low back pain.
Nux vomica is a very helpful homeopathic remedy for constipation. (See also, The Eagle has Landed!)
- irritability from the hemorrhoids; hemorrhoids during pregnancy; chronic; congested (full of blood) with a tendency to bleed; internal; large and swollen
- hemorrhoids following laxative use; with constipation and/or straining at stool; with headaches; with cramping intestinal pain; better for cold.

Boiron’s HemCalm ointment adds in

Collinsonia:
- Painful periods may accompany hemorrhoids; chronic; during pregnancy; with obstinate constipation
- with straining at stool/during pregnancy; indigestion with hemorrhoids

Boiron’s HemCalm suppositories add two more homeopathic remedies:

Paeonia hemorrhoids are congested (full of blood); may be strangulated and are worse wiping after stool.
Ratanhia hemorrhoids are external and protruding, grape-like and swollen and are aggravated by touch.
- Headaches and irritability may accompany the hemorrhoids; they are better from cold; may accompany anal fissures; the hemorrhoids may feel like broken glass; may feel splinter-like pain (like sticks).

Forces of Nature* is another homeopathic combination which is for topical use only. It contains both Aesculus and Hamamelis and is combined with essential oils.

WHP Be gone* from Washington Homeopathy is an ointment with Aesculus, Collinsonia and Hamamelis.

Are there other combinations out there?
Yes! A quick look on the internet turns up all sorts of hemorrhoid relief — some of them are homeopathic, most are not. Choose carefully! To see why you may want to choose the homeopathic remedies over the others, see these studies:

If you have tried everything and are still struggling, consider booking a consult.

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

*I have no affiliation with this or any other company.
** Many of these remedies may be found in many of these rubrics. I have only highlighted the level 3 & 4 rubrics as well as small (fewer than 5 remedies) rubrics.

I have touched on the most common homeopathic remedies for hemorrhoids in this article, but there are more. To read further on homeopathic hemorrhoid remedies, consider subscribing to Ruminating on Remedies: Digging Deeper.

Reference list

Admuthe, N. B., Karajgi, S., Uikey, J., Bhimraj, N. M., Prakash, V., Babar, T. P., Karra, T. and Shrivastava, R., 2025. Natural Products in Hemorrhoid Management: A Comprehensive Literature Review of Traditional Herbal Remedies and Evidence-Based Therapies. Cureus [online], 17 (5), e83397.

Enache, T. and Soare, D. E., 2022. Doppler Ultrasound Testing Suggests Hemorrhoids in Females may be a Consequence of Impaired Blood Flow Associated with Pelvic Organ Prolapse. Journal of Coloproctology [online], 42 (03), 228–233.

Fox, A., Tietze, P. H. and Ramakrishnan, K., 2014. Anorectal conditions: hemorrhoids. FP essentials [online], 419, 11–19.

Harvard Health Publishing, 2019. Hemorrhoids and what to do about them - Harvard Health [online]. Harvard Health.

Kamlesh Bagmar, 2020. Management of Haemorrhoids with Individualized Homoeopathy in Improving Quality of Life: An Observational Study [online]. International Journal of Research.

Lawrence, A. and McLaren, E. R., 2020. External Hemorrhoid [online]. PubMed.

Lohsiriwat, V., 2012. Hemorrhoids: From basic pathophysiology to clinical management. World Journal of Gastroenterology [online], 18 (17), 2009.

NIH, 2016. Definition & Facts of Hemorrhoids - NIDDK [online]. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Rahmathullah, S., 2003. Compendium of human diseases and their cure by homoeopathic treatment : a modern book of homoeopathic therapeutics with concise description of the diseases. London: S. Rahmathullah.

Venes, D., 2017. Taber’s cyclopedic medical dictionary. Kindle. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.

Washington Homeopathic Products, 2025. WHP Be goneTM Hemorrhoids [online]. Homeopathy Works.

2/14/2025

The Narayani Kit

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Last April, I wrote about my exciting purchase of a kit of the Narayani remedies. Well, I took that kit with me on my summer vacation and I have to say, I am very impressed.

At that time I was excited about the possibilities that were in the Narayani kit from Taproots*. I bought the kit. I looked at the kit. Literally, at the last second this summer as I was closing up my carry on bag with my computer and the things I can not travel across the world without, I threw in the new Taproots Narayani kit (and, the Helios Narayani book, too. Phew!).

Boy, am I glad I did that!

We landed in England and all was well on a beautifully warm and sunny day. The next morning, I woke up with something… a cold? Mold allergies? After breakfast, I was pretty certain it was not allergies. I tried a couple of single remedies from my usual travel homeopathy kit. Have I mentioned how tricky it can be to find the right remedy when you’re not feeling great? I have to say, that goes double when you're jetlagged! Those single remedies helped a bit but they were missing the mark. Then, I remembered my last minute addition and pulled out the Narayani kit.

As I have mentioned before, Narayani remedies are sometimes straightforwardly named and other times… not so much.

"Flu Pack" makes sense (turns out it's a combination of many combination remedies)
- but there is also "General Flu mix", so…
"Skin Itch" makes sense
- but there is also "Skin H"… (which is mainly used for dry skin)
"Colds mix" makes sense
- but there is also "Post Nasal Drip," "Sinus mix," and, "Sinus special"…
"Combination Mix" -- not so clear at first but it turns out it is a combination of all 12 cell salts.
"War mix" leaves some things to the imagination.
"Drawing"? "Elimination"? "Calcium"? "Cleansing"?

I rootled through the little box while flipping pages in the book to read what might be in order. I don't remember where I started. (If you are a frequent reader of Ruminating on Remedies, you will know that I returned from this trip with Lyme disease (See: Ticked Off) and a lot of little details between then and now took a backseat and have since disappeared from my brain.)

I am happy to say that for the next week of our trip, I was, as my homeopath friend calls it, “homeopathically sick.” What does that mean? "Homeopathically sick" means that life can go on, pretty much as planned, even though there are symptoms. The symptoms never progressed -- the remedies stopped them in their tracks allowing me to enjoy my trip.

With the quick successes I had for my symptoms with these new (to me) remedies, the little Narayani kit moved from my carry on bag to my little shoulder bag, (along with a box of tissues, an empty bag to hold my used tissues and some hand sanitizer to keep up with all that nose blowing) and our vacation carried on pretty much without missing a beat.

Over the next about 10 days, our group ranged from 6 to 20+ people at a time and this little kit helped more than just me.

Which remedies were used?

"Cramps" came in very handy for menstrual pains.
"Diarrhea" was worth its weight in gold to stop whatever was happening before a long car ride.
"Post nasal" became my new favorite for a minute there.
"Allergy B" helped a cat allergy sufferer who found themselves staying in a room where the cat usually lives.

There were more, but this is all I can specifically recall at the minute.

Looking over all the remedies in the kit again now, I see I probably missed a trick or two in the early days of trying this out. When I first purchased this Taproots Narayani kit*, I knew what I knew about Narayanis (not much). Now, I know better how to use these little gems and I think it’s fair to say I won’t be traveling again without them. In fact, I have traveled many times since this first encounter with this kit seven months ago and it comes with me every single time, without fail. Sometimes I use it, sometimes it just comes along for the ride, but I am always happy to have it with me.

One thing is for sure -- if you purchase this kit, make sure you also purchase a Narayani guide. There are a couple of versions of these books, but it's all the same information -- the Narayani remedies are the Narayani remedies, there are no variations (that I am aware anyway). Taproots sells a version for $49.99 but my favorite version is from Helios for £9.95: The Narayani Combination Remedies, updated and revised 2023.

Even if you don't purchase the kit, I highly recommend the book as a good way to learn remedies. As you read through the combination remedies for various conditions, it's an easy way to get a nice overview of a variety of remedies.

Taproots offers free shipping in the US on orders over $100, so, that helps!

On this Valentine's Day -- show yourself a little love and splurge on this incredibly useful collection of 50 remedies*!

Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath

#wellnessawaits

* I have no affiliation with this company (or any other company, actually!)

8/6/2021

What Hurts?

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Rufus is a big dog and he most likely suffers from the hip joint problems these big fellows are known to endure. He’s been slowing down for a while now and we dare not take him on a long off-road walk because there would be no carrying him back home if he decided to sit down and be done with the walk.

The other day, poor old Rufus couldn’t (or wouldn’t) get up to get his breakfast. He had to have his back end lifted for him to get him on his way. He seemed fine the day before. Fine is relative here. It always seems an effort for him to stand up. There is almost always a groan and a sudden drop when he tries to make himself comfy.

Having no idea what happened to Ruf — did he injure his leg or back or is it just the old age aches of a big dog — I wasn’t sure where to start and he wasn’t helping me figure it out.

After being helped up, he had his breakfast and took himself outside for a bit and plopped back down in his cool room.

I brought him a homeopathic T-Relief spiked treat*.

T-Relief used to be known as Traumeel and was one of the first homeopathic remedies that I began using on my own. It’s a homeopathic mix which covers a lot of ground:

Arnica — Joint, back, muscle pain
Calendula — pain reliever
Hamamelis — a good remedy to think of when Arnica didn’t act.
Bellis Perennis — joint and muscle soreness
Belladonna — pain reliever
Hypericum — nerve pain (see “Poked by a Branch” blog)
Ruta — tendons and ligaments
And a few more remedies thrown in for good measure.

A lot of homeopaths don’t like the combination remedies. Could an injury or pain be more specifically addressed through a targeted remedy? You bet. But, in a pinch and when you don’t have the working knowledge to guide you to the “correct” remedy, combination remedies can often quickly get you the relief you need.

And, for Rufus, it did just that.

He lounged most of the day, as usual, and he was able to get up for his dinner, albeit slower than usual. A few more doses of T-Relief put him back on track.

If you or your loved one or beloved pet is suffering from aches and pains, contact classicallypractical.com to see if homeopathy can help.

[In writing this article, I see Medinatura also offers a line of Pet products. I have not tried them. The ingredients and price appear to be identical to the people version.]

* I crush the tablet with the back of a spoon or the flat part of a knife and pick up the powder on a piece of meat or cheese and give it to him that way. They can also be put directly in the mouth, between the gum and cheek.

** Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation.

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