My eldest child had colic when she was a baby. She would cry for hours every day, and it seemed like nothing we could do would help. If only I had known about homeopathy back then!
There are several homeopathic remedies that are known to help when babies have digestive colic. These remedies can help correct the issue so that the baby is able to have problem-free digestion. The remedies listed here are the most commonly used remedies for colic, but there are also other homeopathic remedies that can be tried if none of these match the specific symptoms that are present.
Homeopathic remedies work best when they are selected to match each individual's specific symptom pattern, and not everyone with a certain condition will exhibit the same symptoms.
No one will exhibit every single indicator for any particular homeopathic remedy. Thus, when selecting a homeopathic remedy, it is best to NOT rule out remedies because of symptoms which are not present. Rather, it works better to focus on those symptoms that are present and determine which remedy best matches those symptoms.
Top 6 Homeopathic Remedies for Colic
CHAMOMILLA: This colic remedy is especially known for the mental state that accompanies the pains. The baby is angry and irritable, crying loudly and forcefully. The only thing that seems to temporarily soothe the baby is to be carried around or rocked. There may be foul-smelling green diarrhea, gassiness, rumbling of the bowels, and/or retching. The baby may pull in the knees and/or kick the legs. The abdomen may be bloated and may be sensitive to touch. The baby may have clammy sweat, and may be red -faced or may have one cheek red and the other cheek pale. The infant may pull away from breast when nursing. Happy and healthy when not having episode. The pains tend to be worse at night, and are not relieved by passing gas. The infant may be teething concurrently with the colic.
COLOCYNTHIS: The baby doubles up (pulls knees into chest) during a colic episode, and may cry or scream if anyone tries to take him out of this position. The pains are relieved by firm pressure on abdomen (such as leaning against something, lying on abdomen, or pushing own fists into abdomen).The infant may have diarrhea, and may have temporary relief from passing gas or stool. The colic may be worse when the nursing mother consumes dairy.
DIOSCOREA: The baby arches backwards like a bow during the pain. The pains are made worse by bending forward. There may be hiccups and/or burping. There may be yellowish diarrhea, which is worse in the morning. The infant may be gassy, and there may be rumbling in the abdomen.
MAGNESIA PHOSPHORICA: The infant lies in the fetal position with knees drawn up. The infant may try to loosen her clothing. The pain may come in spasms rather than being continuous. There may be frequent hiccups and/or retching. The abdomen may be bloated with gas, and the pains are not relieved by belching. The pains may be soothed by gentle pressure, rubbing, passing gas, and especially by warm applications. Although Colocynthis and Magnesia Phosphorica both have the knees drawn up and react favorably to pressure on the abdomen, Magnesia Phosphorica has a stronger improvement from warm applications.
NUX VOMICA: The baby may be wakeful, irritable, easily startled, and hypersensitive to noise and/or light. The baby may be constipated, with ineffectual straining to stool. The infant may retch but not actually vomit. The abdomen may be bloated and gassy, and there may be relief by passing gas or stool. The infant may try to loosen his clothes. The pains are worse after eating or from overfeeding. The colic may be worse if the nursing mother eats a rich or spicy meal, uses alcohol or drugs (recreational or medicinal), or overindulges in food.
PULSATILLA: Like Chamomilla, the Pulsatilla infant may be soothed by being carried around or rocked. However, the Pulsatilla mental state can be distinguished from the Chamomilla state because the Pulsatilla infant is not angry. Instead, the infant is clingy and weepy, with a pitiful cry. The infant may vomit and/or have greenish watery diarrhea. The stools may be sour. Diarrhea may alternate with constipation, and the stools may vary widely in their color and consistency. The abdomen may be bloated and may be gurgling or rumbling. There may be frequent burping and/or hiccups. The pains are usually worse in evening and from being in a warm or stuffy room. The pains may be relieved by fresh, cool air. The colic may be worse when the nursing mother has heavy or rich food, fruit, pastries, or ice cream. The infant may be teething concurrently with the colic.
Potency and Dosing Guidelines
30c potency is a good general-purpose potency for most infants. Newborns generally do best with a lower potency, such as 6c. If the 6c potency leads to improvements, but the improvements are not strong enough (or keep relapsing), a 12c or 30c potency can be used instead.
For an infant, a wet solution can be made by dissolving one pellet in a small amount of water (such as 1 Tb). Then 1/4-tsp of the remedy liquid can be given to the baby as a dose. It is okay if some of the remedy gets spilled or it is not all swallowed. The remedy action takes place on the tongue, so as long as the liquid touches the tongue, the dose will still be effective.
Correct dosing is just as important as remedy selection, and can make a huge difference in the results. Please read my article about homeopathic dosing to better understand how often to give doses to increase the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies.
Disclaimer
I am not a doctor or licensed healthcare professional. I am a homeopathic practitioner whose services are considered complementary and alternative by the state of New Mexico. The uses of homeopathic remedies described herein are provided for educational use only.
References
Boericke, W. (2004) Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia and Repertory. Paharganj, New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers (P) LTD.
Lockie, A. (1989) The Family Guide to Homeopathy. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster.
Moskowitz, R. (1992) Homeopathic Medicines for Pregnancy & Childbirth. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books.
Santwani, M. T. (1990) Common Ailments of Children and Their Homoeopathic Management. Paharganj, New Delhi, India: B. Jain Publishers PVT LTD.
Ullman, D. (1992) Homeopathic Medicine for Children and Infants. New York, New York: Penguin Putnam Inc.
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Susan, thanks for sharing what worked well for you!
Babies magic tea helped our babies' colic issues that he started developing at 2 months. No more gas and fussiness at night for our boy. This was a fantastic recommendation from my RN friend.