Articles

By Rabbi Dovid Cohen, Administrative Rabbinic Coordinator

Q. I’d like to try homeopathic medicine, and want to know if there are any kashrus issues I should be aware of?

A. Homeopathic remedies are commonly made of plant or mineral materials which do not pose an inherent kashrus issue but sometimes contain extracts of non-kosher animal products.  Some examples of remedies which are animal-based are Apis Mellifera (Western honeybee), Cantharis (beetle), Sepia (Cuttlefish ink), Formica Rufa (red ants), and Oscillococcinum (Muscovy duck extract).  One part of the theory of homeopathic medicine is that the more diluted an active ingredient is, the more effective it can be, and for that reason, the active ingredients are typically just a tiny proportion of the remedy.  Thus, it is not unusual that there to be just parts per thousand or parts per million of the active ingredients (meaning: thousands or millions of times more inactive ingredients than active).

Thus, the first idea which comes to mind is that the active ingredients are batel b’shishim, and the remedy is permitted even if it contains a non-kosher active ingredient.  While there is surely merit to that argument, there are other factors to consider.  The first is the principle of “ChaNaN” which states that when issur is mixed into heter in a proportion that is not batel b’shishim, we view the mixture as if it is now 100% issur.  This is relevant to many homeopathic remedies (particular the “X” or “D” varieties), since they are made by slowly diluting the active ingredient in relatively small amounts and then repeating that again and again till the desired level of dilution is reached.  Thus, even if the active ingredient is only 1 part per million in the final product, ChaNaN might dictate that it is not batel.  [The finer details of whether ChaNaN applies in this situation are beyond the scope of this article.]  A second reason that bitul might not be appropriate is the opinion of Rashba that any item added intentionally can never be batel.

A second issue to consider is the inactive ingredients.  In many cases, the extraction of the active ingredient and the repeated dilutions of it are performed with ethyl alcohol.  Ethyl alcohol requires hashgachah because of concerns that it may be produced from wine/grape juice or lactose, in which case it would be stam yayin (if from wine or grape juice) or possibly a byproduct of gevinas akum (if from lactose).  Similarly, one common way in which homeopathic remedies are sold is as “dissolving tablets”, and those tend to be made of lactose.

A broader issue that is relevant to all “alternative” medicines, including homeopathic remedies, is whether the leniencies that are appropriate for people who are cholim (sick), can also be applied to those who choose to use these medicines.  Rema says that one may only feed forbidden items to a choleh if the cure is a “yeduah” (known/proven) or prescribed by a “mumcheh” (expert/medical practitioner).  A Rabbi must determine which of these alternative cures qualifies for this standard before deciding if leniencies are appropriate.

This article first appeared in the Let’s Talk Kashrus column, Yated Ne’eman, March 7, 2025.