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Homeopathic Remedy May Quiet Snoring

Snoring can disturb sleep patterns and stress relationships, but a tiny pill may silence those unwanted sounds. Derek Lipman, M.D., and his Portland, Ore., colleagues recruited 90 patients to participate in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Their goals were to determine whether using a particular homeopathic remedy could influence the incidence or intensity of snoring and whether the product could affect the quality of sleep for the snorer or the sleepmate. Their results were published in Sleep and Breathing [1999;3(2)53-5] and showed that treatment during the 10-day assessment period was significantly more effective than placebo and without side effects.

The subjects were adult snorers of both genders between the ages of 18 and 55. During the 10-day study period, subjects took two tablets, dissolved in the mouth at bedtime. The 44 people in the treatment group received Snore Stop, a homeopathic remedy produced by The Green Pharmacy of Wilsonville, Ore., in accordance with the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States. The remedy contains Nux vomica 4X and 6X, Belladonna 6X, Ephedra vulgaris 6X, Hydrastis canadensis 6X, Kah bichromicum 6X, Teucrium marum 6X and Histaminum hydrochloricum 12X. The 46 people in the placebo group took identical-looking and -tasting tablets.

Patients and sleepmates were asked to keep a diary of the outcomes. During the course of the study there was no significant change in the placebo group, but those taking Snore Stop did show a statistically significant improvement. Of those receiving the remedy, 61.4 percent reported moderate to excellent improvement compared with 21.7 percent in the placebo group. According to the researchers, "There is no consensus on the scientific basis for the mechanism of action of homeopathic medicines. Controlled trials have confirmed the efficacy of homeopathic medicines in the management of acute diarrhea and influenza. Similarly, this study suggests that a safe, inexpensive homeopathic treatment may be of benefit to socially disruptive snorers."

Additional studies, using a research-validated questionnaire, and for a longer duration, are warranted.