Looking forward to a weekend at the cottage, or a couple of weeks abroad? Protect your vacation and make your good times feel even better with these handy, portable remedy suggestions for summer travels. 

Arnica Montana: Always in season for injuries, bumps, bruises, accidents of all sorts, shock and trauma.

Apis Mellifica: For insect bites and stings, allergic reactions to these, or even allergic reactions in general, especially anaphylaxis (on the way to the hospital!). Look for swelling, redness, and stinging as indications for this remedy. It’s particularly useful if the area is puffy and warm and better for cool and cool applications.

Arsenicum Album: Useful for food poisoning or stomach upsets from eating unfamiliar or spoiled food. It helps with symptoms like vomiting, stomach cramping, diarrhea, and weakness, especially when there is additional chilliness, anxiety and a feeling of restlessness.

Carbo Vegetabilis: Homeopathic charcoal, this remedy is known as the “corpse reviver,” It is useful for exhaustion, faintness, or collapse from prolonged heat exposure or dehydration with a desire to be fanned. It’s also great for bloating and gas.

Cocculus Indicus: Fancy a ride on a boat? Sometimes it doesn’t go so well. This is a go-to remedy for motion sickness, whether from car, plane, or sea travel.

Gelsemium: Helps with anticipatory anxiety, such as fear of flying before a trip, or performance anxiety.

Ledum Palustre: This is a remedy for puncture wounds, but also can be for insect bites, and stings especially if the affected area is cold to the touch BUT feels better with cold applications (Apis feels hot to the touch).

Nux Vomica: Ideal for travelers who experience indigestion, but also a near specific for hangovers from overindulgence in food or drink. It helps with symptoms like nausea, bloating, and irritability.

Rhus Toxicodendron: So you got excited about water skiing but woke up sore the next day…this remedy is wonderful for aches and pains from over exertion such as hiking, walking long distances, or lower back issues from enthusiastic gardening. As the potentized version of Poison Ivy, it is also handy as an isopathic treatment for skin rashes from poison ivy or similar plants.

Tips for Using Homeopathic Remedies:

Potency: 30C is a common potency for travel kits. It’s strong enough to address acute conditions but gentle enough for general use. For stronger symptoms, and more ambitious homeopathic apothecaries, consider also having a 200C. People have various sensitivity levels to remedies, so you can start lower in potency and work up.

Dosage: Typically,2 pellets dissolved under the tongue, taken every hour during an acute episode. Or, add about 8 pellets to a personal sized water bottle, let them dissolve, and sip as desired, shaking in between doses. In acute situations, you will want to reduce the frequency of dosing as symptoms improve. In some cases, just one dose will be enough. Listen to your body. I find that clients usually start to forget about taking their remedy as they begin to feel better.  Again, you can always do a test dose first, and more sensitive people need less, so if you are prone to allergic reactions or chemical sensitivities, start with less and work up as needed. Consult a professional if you have concerns or for more serious and chronic conditions.

Summer storage: Keep remedies in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, i.e. not your glove compartment. If you want to protect your remedies from airport X-rays, wrap them in aluminum foil.