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Apocynum cannabinum

Traditionally used for: People working with a homeopath who want the traditional swelling remedy; Nothing with proven benefit.

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What is Apocynum cannabinum? Apocynum cannabinum is a single homeopathic remedy. It is made from a North American plant called Indian hemp or dogbane. It is not the same plant as cannabis or marijuana. Homeopaths have used it for dropsy (an old word for body swelling caused by trapped fluid). They also gave it for a puffy belly, a slow pulse and passing very little urine. These are old uses, not proven ones. The remedy is made by watering the plant down again and again. At 30C almost none of the plant is left, and trials do not show it beats a dummy pill (placebo). Long use in a tradition is not proof that a thing works. How does Apocynum cannabinum work? Homeopathy rests on two old ideas. One is that "like cures like". The other is that shaking and watering down a plant makes it act more strongly. Neither idea fits what we know about the body. A 30C pellet holds no plant matter at all. So there is no known way for it to act on you. The raw plant is a different story. It holds chemicals that make the heart beat harder and slower. Those chemicals can still be present in very low strengths, such as 1X or 3X. What forms does Apocynum cannabinum come in? The safest and most common form is a sugar pellet at 6C, 12C or 30C. Liquid drops in alcohol are also sold. Some shops sell the mother tincture and low strengths like 1X and 3X. These still contain plant material and carry a real risk of poisoning. Do not buy or use them. Where it comes from: Native American groups used the root of this plant as a strong laxative and to make the heart beat harder. They used the stem fibre for rope and thread, which is how it earned the name Indian hemp. Homeopaths picked it up in the 1800s. Constantine Hering and others tested it and wrote it up for dropsy. It has stayed a small, rarely used remedy ever since.

Helps

What does Apocynum cannabinum help with? Dropsy (body swelling from trapped fluid): This is the classic homeopathic use, drawn from what the raw plant did to the heart and kidneys. No human trial has tested the remedy for it. Body swelling can be a sign of heart, liver or kidney trouble, so see a doctor. Ascites (fluid build-up in the belly): Old homeopathic texts list a tight, puffy belly with thirst. There is no trial evidence behind this. A swollen belly needs a medical check, not a home remedy. Passing very little urine: Homeopaths used it when urine was dark, scanty and hard to pass. No study has tested that use. Sudden low urine output can mean your kidneys are in trouble and needs urgent care. Swollen legs and ankles: Traditional homeopathic use covers puffy legs that pit when you press them. Evidence for the remedy is absent. Puffy legs with breathlessness is a warning sign that needs a doctor the same day. Heavy or flooding menstrual bleeding: Some old texts list heavy bleeding with faintness. This rests on symptom pictures written in the 1800s, not on trials. Heavy bleeding that soaks through pads needs medical review.

Apocynum cannabinum

Quick Facts

  • What it is: A homeopathic remedy made from Indian hemp (dogbane), a poisonous North American plant, and watered down until almost nothing of it is left.
  • Main uses: Dropsy (body swelling from trapped fluid), Fluid in the belly, Passing very little urine
  • Best for: People working with a homeopath who want the traditional swelling remedy, Nothing with proven benefit
  • Active ingredients: None left at 30C, Cymarin (in the raw plant), Apocynamarin (in the raw plant)
  • Forms: Sugar pellets at 6C, 12C or 30C, Alcohol-based liquid drops, Mother tincture and 1X to 3X strengths (not advised)
  • Time to effect: No reliable time, because benefit over a dummy pill has not been shown.
  • Side effects: 30C pellets are just sugar; the tincture and low strengths can poison the heart.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Avoid in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.

What is Apocynum cannabinum?

Apocynum cannabinum is a single homeopathic remedy. It is made from a North American plant called Indian hemp or dogbane. It is not the same plant as cannabis or marijuana.

Homeopaths have used it for dropsy (an old word for body swelling caused by trapped fluid). They also gave it for a puffy belly, a slow pulse and passing very little urine. These are old uses, not proven ones.

The remedy is made by watering the plant down again and again. At 30C almost none of the plant is left, and trials do not show it beats a dummy pill (placebo). Long use in a tradition is not proof that a thing works.

How does Apocynum cannabinum work?

Homeopathy rests on two old ideas. One is that "like cures like". The other is that shaking and watering down a plant makes it act more strongly.

Neither idea fits what we know about the body. A 30C pellet holds no plant matter at all. So there is no known way for it to act on you.

The raw plant is a different story. It holds chemicals that make the heart beat harder and slower. Those chemicals can still be present in very low strengths, such as 1X or 3X.

What forms does Apocynum cannabinum come in?

The safest and most common form is a sugar pellet at 6C, 12C or 30C. Liquid drops in alcohol are also sold.

Some shops sell the mother tincture and low strengths like 1X and 3X. These still contain plant material and carry a real risk of poisoning. Do not buy or use them.

Where it comes from:

Native American groups used the root of this plant as a strong laxative and to make the heart beat harder. They used the stem fibre for rope and thread, which is how it earned the name Indian hemp.

Homeopaths picked it up in the 1800s. Constantine Hering and others tested it and wrote it up for dropsy. It has stayed a small, rarely used remedy ever since.

If this is an emergency

Some reactions to Apocynum cannabinum need urgent care. Call your local emergency number or go to an emergency department straight away — do not wait to see whether it passes.

Who should avoid Apocynum cannabinum?

  • Never swallow the mother tincture (raw plant extract), the raw plant, its root or its milky sap. It is poisonous and can stop your heart.
  • Do not use strengths below 6C, such as 1X, 2X or 3X, as plant matter may still be present.
  • Do not use if you take digoxin or digitoxin (heart drugs known as digitalis).
  • Do not use if you take water pills (diuretics), steroid tablets, or anything else that lowers your potassium.
  • Do not use if you have low potassium (hypokalaemia), which means too little potassium in your blood.
  • Do not use if you have a heart rhythm problem, a very slow pulse, heart block (a fault in the heart's wiring), or heart failure.
  • Do not use if you have kidney disease, since your body clears heart chemicals more slowly.
  • Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Do not give it to a baby or child unless a doctor who knows the child says so.
  • Never use it in place of medicine you have been prescribed for swelling, heart or kidney problems.
  • Do not use alcohol-based drops if you take disulfiram or metronidazole, or if you avoid alcohol.

When should you see a doctor?

Get emergency help right away if you or anyone else swallows the raw plant or the tincture, or if you notice a slow, racing or uneven heartbeat, vomiting, blurred or yellow-tinged vision, confusion or fainting. Poisoning from this plant can be deadly and needs hospital care.

See a doctor the same day if your legs, ankles or belly swell up, if you are short of breath, or if you suddenly pass much less urine than normal.

Book a normal appointment if swelling keeps coming back, if you are losing weight without trying, or if a complaint has not cleared in a week.

Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.

Reviewed by the HealisticMD editorial team How we grade evidence →

The published evidence for Apocynum cannabinum is weak or absent. That usually means no controlled trial has tested it, not that a trial found it ineffective — the two are different, and we grade only what has been published.

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