Arsenicum album

Description:Arsenicum album (Arsen. alb.) is a frequently-used homeopathic substance derived from the metallic element arsenic.[citation needed] It is used by homeopaths to treat a range of symptoms that include digestive disorders (especially food poisoning), insomnia, allergies, anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it has been studied as a possible treatment for arsenic poisoning. The arsenic oxide in a homeopathic preparation is highly diluted, and so is considered generally safe, although rare reports of arsenic poisoning from poorly-prepared homeopathic treatments sold in India have been reported. When properly prepared, however, the extreme dilutions, typically to at least 1 in 1024, or 12C in homeopathic notation, mean that it is extremely statistically unlikely that any pill contains even a molecule of the original arsenic used. While some small, unblinded studies have claimed an effect on reducing arsenic toxicity, they do not recommend its large-scale use, and studies of homeopathic remedies have been shown to generally have problems that prevent them from being considered unambiguous evidence. There is no known mechanism for how arsenicum album could remove arsenic from a body, and there is insufficient evidence for it to be considered effective medicine (for any condition) by the scientific community.