Many of you have asked for more extensive guidance on remedy selection for flu-like symptoms. In this article, I will describe the symptoms you’ll want to see to reach for the homeopathic remedy Eupatorium perfoliatum.

Remember - the key to choosing the correct/helpful remedy is ALWAYS the same. One must match the “characteristic symptoms” (ie, unusual or peculiar) of the person you are caring for (not the common ones like headache, sore throat, cough, fever, etc.) to a remedy capable of producing similar characteristic symptoms to have success. If you choose a remedy with characteristics most similar to the characteristic symptoms of your family member, you should have a happy outcome every time. If you don't, you or they will either feel no effect, or one that is mildly positive at best, but there is never a bad effect from choosing the “wrong” remedy.

Key Mental Characteristics: There are no remarkable mental symptoms that are characteristic of Eupatorium perfoliatum.

Key Physical Characteristics: This homeopathic remedy is one to consider when you find you have intense aching in the limbs and back as if the bones were broken, often with stiffness and general soreness when rising to walk.

These characteristic symptoms of the severe aching, as if the bones were broken, are what gave this remedy the popular name "bone-set.”

With flu-like symptoms, there is often a chill at between 7:00AM and 9:00AM preceded by a thirst for cold water. The characteristic deep aching (felt as if in the bones) also typically precedes the chill. There can be nausea and vomiting between the chilly and fever stages with this remedy.

The chill itself will often come with much shivering.

Another characteristic of someone needing the remedy Eupatorium perfoliatum with flu-like symptoms is that there is typically deep soreness of the eyeballs.

If a headache is part of the flu-like symptoms, the pain, which can be throbbing, is most often felt in the back of the head.

If you or someone you know is experiencing flu-like symptoms and their symptoms match those of this remedy, dose with either a 30C or 200C potency to start - placing one pellet under the tongue or one pellet in water, stirring vigorously and taking teaspoon doses as needed. Always cease dosing when relief begins and only re-dose if symptoms again worsen. As with any medical condition, consult with your physician if you have any concerns about the severity of your problem as it may first require medical diagnosis and/or intervention and monitoring.

If you think you have the influenza virus, please seek the advice of a medical professional.

About Dr. Lisa Samet

Dr. Lisa Samet N.D. provides Washington Homeopathic Products with a weekly column on using homeopathy for the family. She's a naturopathic physician who specializes in homeopathic medicine and she's a partner with Dr. Andre Saine N.D. 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 in that it does not just soothe or palliate symptoms but can actually stimulate the body to start to heal itself. Dr. Samet sees patients in her Montreal office as well as long distance using Skype. Learn more here: Dr. Lisa Samet