Flu-Like Symptoms and Eight Homeopathic Remedies That Can Help You Feel Better—An Overview

Most of us don’t need a reminder of how miserable flu-like symptoms can feel. The aching, chills, fever, cough, and exhaustion can come on quickly and leave you wanting nothing more than to feel like yourself again.

Having a few commonly used remedies on hand can really help when flu-like symptoms appear.

The key is to look at the whole symptom picture. How does the person feel? Are they chilly or warm? Thirsty or not? Do they want to lie perfectly still, or does staying in one place make them feel worse? These details can help distinguish one remedy from another.

Here are eight remedies commonly considered for flu-like symptoms :

Arsenicum album: Think of Arsenicum when marked weakness is accompanied by restlessness and anxiety. The person often feels chilly and craves warmth. They are often thirsty for frequent small sips. Nasal symptoms can include obstruction along with a thin, watery, or burning discharge. Symptoms tend to be worse at night, particularly after midnight.

Baptisia tinctoria: Baptisia has a heavy, sick feeling that can come on quickly. There may be profound weakness, aching and soreness throughout the body. The face may appear dull or flushed, and the throat will often be dark red and swollen – but oddly can be painless. Offensive breath or other offensive discharges may also be part of the picture.

Bryonia alba: One of the strongest clues for Bryonia is simple: movement makes things worse. The person wants to remain still because even small movements can aggravate the aching, headache, or other discomfort. With a cough, any headache worsens with each cough, and you will often see this patient holding their head or chest when coughing. There is often considerable thirst for large quantities of fluids, and the person may be irritable and prefer to be left alone.

Eupatorium perfoliatum: Deep aching is the hallmark of Eupatorium. Someone needing this remedy will have severe pain in the bones and limbs, with the sensation as though the bones are broken. There may be fever, chills, great thirst, and cough, along with soreness or aching of the eyes. When bone pain is a particularly prominent symptom, consider Eupatorium.

Gelsemium sempervirens: Gelsemium presents a very different picture. The person feels apathetic, dull, drowsy, weak, and heavy. The limbs may feel almost too heavy to move, and the eyelids can feel heavy as well. Chills may travel up and down the back, and weakness may be accompanied by headache, trembling, and/or neck stiffness. Unlike several other remedies on this list, thirst is minimal.

Mercurius solubilis: The person needing this remedy often experiences creeping chilliness at the onset of symptoms, with a strong thirst despite a very moist mouth. The breath can be foul-smelling, and the nose and throat discharges can be thick, smelly, and green. The patient is often sweaty, and symptoms worsen at night. The person is typically thirsty for cold drinks.

Nux vomica: Marked chilliness is an important part of the Nux vomica picture. The person can be extremely sensitive to cold and drafts and reluctant to uncover. Nasal symptoms may alternate between stuffiness and discharge. They are often irritable, impatient, and particularly sensitive to their surroundings.

Rhus toxicodendron: Restlessness helps distinguish Rhus tox. Staying still can worsen the aching and stiffness, so the person feels compelled to move or keep changing position. That movement may be uncomfortable at first but can gradually bring some relief. They are thirsty and better from warmth, worse in the cold and in cold, wet conditions. Someone who needs this remedy is generally worse at night, usually because they have been in one position for a long time.

Choosing a remedy

Rather than choosing a remedy simply because someone has a fever, cough, or body aches, look for the symptoms that make the illness distinctive.

Someone who wants to remain absolutely still because movement hurts suggests a very different remedy picture from someone who cannot get comfortable and has to keep moving. Intense bone pain points in a different direction than overwhelming heaviness and drowsiness.

It is those individual characteristics that help guide remedy selection.

How to dose

Once you have chosen a remedy that appears to match your symptoms, dose with either a 30C or a 200C to start - placing one pellet under the tongue (let it dissolve) or one pellet in water (the pellet does NOT need to be fully dissolved before you dose), stirring vigorously, and then giving a teaspoon dose as needed (for an infant, the remedy can be added to their formula if they are taking a bottle). Initially dose once every 1-4 hours, depending on the severity of symptoms, and evaluate after 3-5 doses. If you are much better, wait before dosing again – and only dose if symptoms begin to worsen.

Remember, as with any medical condition, consult your physician if you have concerns about the severity of your illness, as it may require medical diagnosis and/or intervention and monitoring.

About Dr. Lisa Samet:

Dr. Lisa Samet, N.D., provides Washington Homeopathic Products with a regular column on using homeopathy for the family. She's a naturopathic physician who specializes in homeopathic medicine. Dr. Samet graduated from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1998 and has been practicing in Montreal since then. She was born and raised in New York.

Dr. Samet has chosen to focus on homeopathy because, in her experience, it is the deepest healing modality available, as it does not just soothe or palliate symptoms but actually stimulates the body to begin healing itself. Dr. Samet sees patients in her Montreal office as well as long-distance using Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime. Learn more here: Dr. Lisa Samet. You can follow her on Facebook as well.