Educational information, not medical advice.See how evidence is graded
HealisticMDBuild your plan

Strophanthus hispidus

Traditionally used for: No proven use; kept for people already under homeopathic care. Weak or fast heartbeat, in homeopathic use; Palpitations.

Home

What is Strophanthus hispidus? Strophanthus hispidus is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from the seed of a climbing plant that grows in West Africa. The seed is also called Kombe seed. Homeopaths have given it to people with a weak, fast or uneven heartbeat, and for swelling in the legs. The raw seed is a heart poison. Hunters once smeared it on arrow tips. Homeopathic forms are watered down over and over. At 30C no part of the seed is left. Trials have not shown that it does more than a dummy pill, and long use in a tradition is not proof that a remedy works. How does Strophanthus hispidus work? Homeopathy rests on an old idea. A substance that causes symptoms in a well person is said to ease those same symptoms once it is watered down. The seed is soaked in alcohol and water. That liquid is then shaken and watered down again and again. Each step is called a potency. By 30C the watering down has gone so far that not one bit of the seed is likely to be left. A 30C pill holds no drug and cannot act like one. Any change you notice is best explained by time, by care and by placebo (feeling better because you expect to). What forms does Strophanthus hispidus come in? Most shops sell it as small sugar pills soaked in the watered-down liquid. Drops in alcohol and water are also sold. Labels run from 3X and 6X up to 30C and 200C. The mother tincture is marked Ø or Q. It is the first strong liquid and is barely watered down. It still holds the heart poison, so treat it as a drug and not as a homeopathic pill. Where it comes from: The vine grows in the forests of West and Central Africa. Hunters there boiled the seed for arrow poison. Local healers used tiny amounts as medicine. Samples reached Britain in the 1860s with explorers on the Zambezi. Doctors made strophanthin from the seed and gave it for a failing heart. Homeopaths tested the seed later in the same century and wrote it into their books. It stayed a minor remedy rather than a main one.

Helps

What does Strophanthus hispidus help with? Weak or fast heartbeat (as used by homeopaths): This is the classic use in homeopathic books. It comes from the fact that the raw seed acts strongly on the heart. No trial has tested the watered-down remedy for this. A weak or racing heart needs a doctor, not a home remedy. Palpitations (a thumping or fluttering heartbeat): Homeopaths pick this remedy when a thumping heartbeat comes with worry or tiredness. The basis is tradition alone. New or frequent palpitations need checking, because the cause can be serious. Swelling in the ankles and legs from fluid: Old texts list swelling that comes with a tired heart. The link comes from the raw seed's effect on the heart and on the flow of urine. There is no trial support for the diluted remedy. Breathlessness on effort: Homeopathic books mention breathlessness that goes with a weak heart. This is a traditional match, not a tested one. Breathlessness that is new or getting worse is a reason to see a doctor quickly. Shakiness and craving during alcohol withdrawal: A few homeopathic sources suggest it for shakes and craving after stopping drink. We found no trial of this. Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous and needs medical help.

Strophanthus hispidus

Quick Facts

  • What it is: A homeopathic remedy made from the heart-acting seed of a West African vine, watered down until little or none of the seed is left.
  • Main uses: Weak or fast heartbeat, in homeopathic use, Palpitations, Swelling in the legs from fluid
  • Best for: No proven use; kept for people already under homeopathic care
  • Active ingredients: k-strophanthin, strophanthidin, None left at 30C and above
  • Forms: Sugar pills (30C, 200C), Liquid drops in alcohol, Low strengths such as 3X and 6X, Mother tincture (Ø or Q)
  • Time to effect: Not known, since the remedy has not been shown to work.
  • Side effects: Almost none at 30C; the tincture and low strengths can upset the heartbeat and can be fatal.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Avoid in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

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

What is Strophanthus hispidus?

Strophanthus hispidus is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from the seed of a climbing plant that grows in West Africa. The seed is also called Kombe seed.

Homeopaths have given it to people with a weak, fast or uneven heartbeat, and for swelling in the legs. The raw seed is a heart poison. Hunters once smeared it on arrow tips.

Homeopathic forms are watered down over and over. At 30C no part of the seed is left. Trials have not shown that it does more than a dummy pill, and long use in a tradition is not proof that a remedy works.

How does Strophanthus hispidus work?

Homeopathy rests on an old idea. A substance that causes symptoms in a well person is said to ease those same symptoms once it is watered down.

The seed is soaked in alcohol and water. That liquid is then shaken and watered down again and again. Each step is called a potency.

By 30C the watering down has gone so far that not one bit of the seed is likely to be left. A 30C pill holds no drug and cannot act like one. Any change you notice is best explained by time, by care and by placebo (feeling better because you expect to).

What forms does Strophanthus hispidus come in?

Most shops sell it as small sugar pills soaked in the watered-down liquid. Drops in alcohol and water are also sold. Labels run from 3X and 6X up to 30C and 200C.

The mother tincture is marked Ø or Q. It is the first strong liquid and is barely watered down. It still holds the heart poison, so treat it as a drug and not as a homeopathic pill.

Where it comes from:

The vine grows in the forests of West and Central Africa. Hunters there boiled the seed for arrow poison. Local healers used tiny amounts as medicine.

Samples reached Britain in the 1860s with explorers on the Zambezi. Doctors made strophanthin from the seed and gave it for a failing heart.

Homeopaths tested the seed later in the same century and wrote it into their books. It stayed a minor remedy rather than a main one.

If this is an emergency

Some reactions to Strophanthus hispidus 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 Strophanthus hispidus?

  • Do not use if you are taking digoxin or digitoxin (heart pills made from foxglove), because the two together can stop your heart
  • Do not use if you take a water pill (diuretic) that lowers potassium, such as furosemide or bendroflumethiazide, unless your doctor has checked your blood
  • Do not use if you have a heart rhythm problem, a very slow pulse, or heart block (a fault in the heart's wiring)
  • Do not use if you have low potassium or low magnesium in your blood
  • Do not use if you have kidney disease, because heart-acting chemicals build up when the kidneys are weak
  • Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Do not use if you are thinking of giving it to a baby or a child, unless a doctor who knows the child agrees
  • Do not use if you would be taking it in place of your heart failure, blood pressure or rhythm medicine
  • Do not use if you have the mother tincture (marked Ø or Q), the raw seed, or a low strength such as 1X to 3X, since these still hold the poison and are not safe to self-treat with

When should you see a doctor?

Call emergency services now if you have chest pain, a pulse that is very slow or wildly uneven, a faint, a fit, or if you see yellow or green halos around lights after taking any form of this seed. Take the pack with you.

See a doctor the same day if you feel sick, keep being sick, or feel dizzy after a dose.

Book an appointment if your heartbeat feels off, your ankles swell, or you get short of breath on stairs. These signs need a proper heart check, not a remedy.

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

The evidence behind this remedy, in one page

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.