Introduction
After more than thirty years of studying and practising homeopathy, Helen Campbell’s remedy kit has been on hill walks, family holidays, long car journeys, and into more kitchens than she can count. It is not a textbook selection. It is the kit that experience built.
We asked her to open it up and talk us through what she carries and why. Not the theory. The moments.
Arnica is the one she reaches for first and most often. Bruises, bumps, shock, overexertion. “If someone falls on a walk, Arnica comes out before anyone’s had time to panic. It settles the shock as much as the bruise.” If you own one remedy, this is the one.
Aconite is for sudden onset. The chill that hits out of nowhere. The fever that spikes at midnight. The fright that leaves someone shaking. “Aconite is the remedy for the first twenty-four hours. If you catch it early, you often don’t need anything else.”
Apis is the one she packs every summer. Bee stings, insect bites, any swelling that is hot, red, and puffy. “The clue with Apis is that cold makes it better. If someone is holding a cold cloth against a sting and it’s helping, that’s Apis.”
Nux vomica covers the aftermath of overdoing it. Too much food, too much drink, too little sleep. The irritable, queasy “why did I do that” feeling. “Nux vomica has saved more Boxing Days in this family than I can count.”
Chamomilla is for children. Teething pain, earache, the kind of distress where the child wants to be picked up but then pushes you away. “When nothing is right and everything is wrong, and the child is beside themselves, Chamomilla calms the whole house down.”
Arsenicum album is for stomach upsets and food poisoning. The restless, anxious kind of illness where the person feels worse after midnight and wants small sips of water rather than big drinks. “I’ve used this on holiday more times than I’d like to admit.”
Rhus tox is for stiffness and strains. The back that seizes up after gardening. The joints that are worst first thing in the morning but loosen with movement. “If someone says ‘I need to walk it off,’ that’s Rhus tox talking.”
Eight remedies. They fit in a pouch the size of a paperback. Between them, they cover most of what goes wrong on an ordinary day.
Where Helen begins
When people tell Helen they’re curious about homeopathy but don’t know where to start, she gives the same answer she’s always given: Arnica. A 30c potency from a pharmacy or health shop, kept in a bag or a drawer, there when a bump or a bruise or a moment of shock arrives.
“Once you’ve seen what one remedy can do,” she says, “the rest of the kit starts to make sense.”
Helen Campbell has studied and practised homeopathy for over thirty years and is the founder of the Helen Campbell Homeopathy Foundation.
Our reading room’s an opportunity to have personal time browsing our shelves full of wisdom.
The Helen Campbell Homeopathy Foundation SCIO is a registered educational charity focused on sharing homeopathy’s fascinating history and wonderful wisdom. We’re here to inform, not prescribe!
