Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Lac defloratum is a homeopathic remedy made from skimmed cow's milk. Its Latin name is Lac vaccinum defloratum, from the cow, Bos taurus. It is used as a single remedy, most often for bad headaches with nausea (feeling sick).
The milk is diluted over and over, with hard shaking at each step. At the common 30C strength, none of the starting milk is left. What you take is water, alcohol, or sugar pellets that were once wetted with the dilution.
Trials do not show that this remedy works better than a dummy pill. It does have a real place in homeopathic books from the 1800s. Long use in a tradition is not proof that a thing works, so we report the two things apart.
Think of it as a traditional remedy with no proven effect on the body. It is not a treatment for any disease. If your headaches are new, severe, or getting worse, see a doctor first.
There is no known way for this remedy to act on the body.
Homeopathy teaches that a heavily diluted substance can prompt the body to heal itself. It also teaches that shaking at each step leaves an "imprint" of the milk. No test has shown such an imprint, and no body process is known that would read it.
At 30C, the milk has been diluted far past the point where a single molecule could remain. So there is nothing in the pellet to act on nerves, blood, or the gut.
When people feel better after taking it, the likely reasons are placebo (a dummy treatment that still makes people feel better), the headache passing on its own, or the calm and attention of a long consultation.
You will find it in a few simple forms.
Sugar pellets or tiny globules are the most common. Liquid drops in alcohol and water are also sold. Some brands make tablets that dissolve under the tongue.
Common strengths are 6C, 30C and 200C. Low strengths written with an X, such as 3X, are less common but may still contain traces of milk.
Skimmed cow's milk was tested on healthy people in the United States in the 1800s. Homeopaths call this a "proving".
Samuel Swan and later writers recorded the results. The picture they drew was of a person with a pounding headache, sickness, chills, and hard, dry stools.
It became a small but named remedy for sick headache in homeopathic books. It has never been a staple of any other healing tradition.
Some reactions to Lac defloratum need urgent care. Call your local emergency number or go to an emergency department straight away — do not wait to see whether it passes.
Call emergency services at once if you get swelling of the lips, face or throat, a widespread rash, wheezing, or trouble breathing after taking it. These are signs of a severe allergic reaction.
See a doctor the same day for the worst headache of your life, a headache with a stiff neck, fever, confusion, weakness on one side, or trouble speaking.
Book an appointment if headaches are getting more frequent, if constipation lasts more than two weeks, or if you feel tired and pale for no clear reason. These need a diagnosis, not a remedy.
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 Lac defloratum 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.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
One email with the summary. We'll also send a short weekly evidence update — unsubscribe any time.
