Oleander

What is Oleander?

Oleander is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from the shrub Nerium oleander, also called rose laurel. In homeopathy it is a single drug, used on its own.

Homeopaths have given it for crusty, itchy rashes on the scalp, for a weak or skipping heartbeat, and for loose stools with weak digestion. These are traditional uses, not proven ones.

The fresh plant is a deadly poison. To make the remedy, an extract is diluted again and again, with hard shaking at each step. At 30C the diluting has been done so many times that no plant matter is left in the pill.

Here is the verdict in one line. Trials do not show any difference between homeopathic oleander and a placebo (a dummy pill with nothing active in it). Long traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and that holds for every use listed on this page.

How does Oleander work?

There is no known way for a 30C oleander pill to act on the body, because no oleander is left in it.

Homeopathy rests on two ideas. The first is that a substance which causes symptoms in a well person can treat like symptoms in a sick person. The second is that shaking and diluting leave behind a kind of imprint of the plant.

Neither idea is backed by chemistry or biology. When people feel better after taking the pills, the likely reasons are the placebo effect, care and attention from a practitioner, or the illness passing on its own.

The raw plant is a different story. It holds chemicals that act strongly on the heart. Those chemicals matter only in the crude extract and in very low dilutions, not in a 30C pill.

What forms does Oleander come in?

Oleander is sold mainly as small sugar pills and pillules, and as liquid drops in alcohol. Common strengths are 6C, 12C, 30C and 200C. Higher numbers mean more diluting, so less of anything from the plant.

You may also see the mother tincture, written as Oleander Ø, and very low dilutions such as 1X, 2X or 3X. These can still hold real plant matter and real poison. They are not safe for home use.

Skin creams and homeopathic injections also exist in some countries. Fresh or dried oleander leaves are never a home remedy.

Where it comes from:

Oleander grows around the Mediterranean and in Asia, and is planted worldwide as a garden shrub. Its poison has been known since ancient times, and old writers used it against snakebite and skin disease.

Homeopathy took it up in the 1800s. Provings, in which healthy people took the remedy and wrote down their symptoms, shaped its picture: scalp rashes, a faint heartbeat, dizziness and loose stools.

It appears in the classic homeopathic materia medica (the reference books that list remedies and their symptom pictures) but has always been a minor remedy rather than a first choice.

What does Oleander help with?

• Crusty, itchy scalp rash: This is the best known homeopathic use. Practitioners pick it when the scalp is scaly, weepy and worse for scratching. No human trial has tested homeopathic oleander for scalp rashes, so the support is traditional only.
• Itchy skin behind the ears: Old homeopathic texts single out itching and cracking behind the ears and at the hairline. There is no trial evidence. Cracked, oozing skin needs a real diagnosis, as it may be eczema or a fungal infection.
• Palpitations (a pounding or skipping heartbeat): Homeopaths chose oleander for a weak, fluttery or irregular pulse, following the idea of treating like with like. There is no trial evidence at all for this use. A new or lasting change in your heartbeat needs a doctor, not a pill.
• Loose stools with poorly digested food: Traditional homeopathic use covers watery stools that pass food almost unchanged, with a hollow, sinking feeling in the stomach. No human trials exist. Lasting diarrhoea can dry you out and needs proper care.
• Dizziness on turning the head: The remedy picture includes dizziness that comes on when you look down or turn quickly. This rests on 19th century provings, not on trials. Dizziness has many causes worth checking, including ear, blood pressure and brain problems.
• Numb, weak hands and feet: Homeopathic texts mention numbness, pins and needles, and clumsy hands. There is no trial support. New numbness or weakness can be a sign of nerve damage or a stroke, so get it checked quickly.

Which foods are rich in Oleander?

1. Honey from oleander flowers: rare reports link it to poisoning, so avoid honey of unknown source from oleander-rich areas

Practical Tips:

Never use oleander leaves, flowers or twigs in tea, food or a home skin wash, and never use the wood for cooking skewers or fire.

What are the side effects of Oleander?

• No effects beyond a placebo are expected from 30C pills
• A brief flare of the original symptoms, which homeopaths call an aggravation
• Headache or a mild upset stomach, reported now and then
• Reaction to lactose (milk sugar) in the pills, if you cannot handle it
• From the crude plant or very low dilutions: vomiting and belly pain
• From the crude plant: a slow, fast or irregular heartbeat
• From the crude plant: blurred vision, confusion, fits and collapse

Good to know:

Side effects from a 30C pill are rare and mild, and are hard to tell apart from chance. The real danger is the plant itself.

Oleander poisoning is well recorded, and deaths have happened from eating leaves, drinking leaf tea, chewing twigs and swallowing seeds. Very small amounts can be enough, and children and pets are at high risk.

The biggest risk with any homeopathic remedy is delay. Putting off care for a heart, nerve or gut problem can let it get worse.

How much Oleander should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no proven effective dose, because the remedy has not been shown to work better than a placebo (a dummy pill). In practice, homeopaths often suggest two to four 30C pills, once or twice a day, for a short spell. Liquid drops are used in a similar way. These customs come from practice, not from trials. Never use the mother tincture (Oleander Ø) or very low dilutions such as 1X to 3X without a qualified prescriber. Never prepare anything yourself from the plant.
• Best time of day: Any time of day. Homeopathic custom is to take pills away from food, drink, coffee, mint and toothpaste, by about 15 to 30 minutes. This is a tradition, not a tested rule.
• With or without food: Usually taken without food. Let the pills melt under your tongue rather than swallowing them with a drink.
• Time to effect: No reliable time can be given. Any change people notice is usually within hours to a few days, and is in line with a placebo response.
• How long to take it: Keep any trial short. Homeopaths usually stop once symptoms settle, and rethink the choice after about one to two weeks if nothing changes. Do not keep taking it for months in place of care for a heart, gut, nerve or skin problem that is not getting better.