We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.

Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:
  • Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?
  • Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
  • Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?
We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.
Was this helpful?

Causticum, or potassium hydrate, is a remedy used in homeopathy for a broad spectrum of conditions. It is available in several forms, including tablets, liquid, and cream.

Homeopathy is a medical system developed in Germany more than 200 years ago. It’s based on the belief that minimal doses of natural substances can help stimulate the body to cure itself.

The natural substances, in larger doses, are typically known to cause symptoms in healthy people, but can be used in very small doses to treat similar symptoms. This is the homeopathic theory that, “like cures like.” Homeopathic medications are referred to as remedies.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, there is little evidence to support homeopathy as an effective treatment for any specific health condition.

In homeopathy, causticum is considered a polycrest, or a broad-spectrum remedy with many uses in a wide variety of settings.

According to a 2015 article in the International Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine, homeopaths often offer causticum as a remedy for physical symptoms such as:

Homeopaths also offer it as a remedy for mental symptoms such as:

  • mental fatigue
  • prolonged grief
  • sensitivity to authority

Clinical studies on homeopathic causticum use to treat specific conditions are quite limited. Here’s what we know:

Causticum for arthritis

While there has not been much scientific research on the effects of causticum on arthritis, what little research has been done suggest that its anti-inflammatory properties on nerves, tendons and muscles could prove helpful with rheumatoid arthritis.

Also, a 2013 study of rats with induced arthritis concluded that rats treated with causticum may have had some pain reduction.

Causticum for bed-wetting (nocturnal enuresis)

Causticum is marketed to help treat children with bedwetting at night. In 2014, researchers in India began recruiting for a clinical trial to assess the use of causticum in children with primary enuresis (bed-wetting since infancy). However, those results have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Causticum is readily available online, in various forms including:

  • pellets
  • tablets
  • liquid
  • lotion or cream

Labeling

If you look at the labels, you might see the letters HPUS following the strength, such as causticum 6X HPUS. These letters indicate that the component is listed officially in the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States.

Disclaimer

When reading the label on products with causticum as an active ingredient, chances are you will encounter a disclaimer such as:

  • There is no scientific evidence that this product works.
  • The product’s claims are based on theories of homeopathy from the 1700s that are not accepted by most modern medical experts.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not aware of scientific evidence to support homeopathy as effective.

There are currently no products labeled as homeopathic and marketed in the United States that are approved by the FDA. That means that any product labeled as homeopathic has not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness by the FDA.

The FDA has proposed regulatory actions and enforcement with unapproved drug products labeled as homeopathic, targeting those products that carry the greatest risk of harm. However, many homeopathic products will probably be outside the targeted risk-based categories. This means many homeopathic offerings will remain on the market.

If you are considering using causticum, or any homeopathic product, discuss it with your doctor. Among other vital information, your doctor may be able to offer advice regarding the potential risk of side effects or interactions with drugs you are currently using.

By talking with your health care providers about complementary health approaches you can get the input necessary to make well-informed decisions.