As part of our ongoing education about homeopathic medications, here is an analysis of an extremely popular teething remedy in infants: Hyland’s Teething Tablets. There is an historical background to part of this analysis: in 2010, these teething tablets were recalled and taken off the market by the manufacturer and the FDA because some tablets had more belladonna than what was stated on the package. They had received reports of infants with symptoms matching belladonna overdose. Also, the bottles were not childproof.
A brief review: homeopathy is the theory that symptoms and/or diseases can be treated and/or cured by giving extremely tiny dose of a substance, usually a poison, that causes the same symptom. If you have a runny nose and watery eyes from a cold, then take onions since they cause runny noses and eyes. They dilute the chemical until it is usually not even detectable anymore; however, they believe that by “percussing” it as it is diluted, something beyond our understanding of chemistry and physics, something perhaps mysical, spiritual or supernatural, happens to impart some essence of the chemical to the liquid in which it is diluted, and this change in essence, though chemically undetectable, is responsible for the beneficial effects. For more information on homeopathy in general, please see our article on understanding homeopathy.
According to their website and the product package, “Hyland’s Teething Tablets contain homeopathically prepared forms of Calcarea Phosphorica, Chamomilla, Coffea Cruda, and Belladonna” in a lactose base.
Calcarea Phosphorica is included in Hyland’s Teething Tablets for its ability to support teeth formation. Chamomilla is included in the Tablets for its actions on irritability commonly associated with teething pain. Coffea Cruda is included in the Tablets for its actions on wakefulness and increased urination.
Belladonna is included in the Tablets to ease the redness, inflammation and discomfort of the child’s gum that often occurs during the teething process. Belladonna 3X HPUS is manufactured from the whole plant, of which a small portion is Belladonna alkaloids (the component sometimes associated with side effects). Each Teething Tablet (which weighs about 65 mg) is composed of 0.0003% Belladonna alkaloids as stated on the label. This means that each complete teething tablet contains only approximately 0.0002 mg of Belladonna alkaloids.
Here is an analysis of the ingredients:
Calcium phosphate is the principal form of calcium in milk and the primary component of bones and tooth enamel. It is relatively harmless, especially if diluted. Does this help teething pain? Of course not. However, they include it because it “supports tooth formation.” I suppose this is just supposed to be an added benefit. Note that this does not have anything to do with homeopathy. In order to be homeopathic, this chemical would have to cause the symptoms of teething (pain, fussiness, etc.). The calcium phosphate makes the teething tablets a dietary supplement, not a homeopathic medication. However, they have diluted it in accordance with homeopathic practice. According to their child products brochure, a 6X dilution this would contain 0.0006 mg of the substance. The recommended daily allowance of calcium in an infant is 200 mg. A child would have to ingest over 33,000 tablets a day to even get 10% of the recommended daily intake, if it is really present at all. (Homeopathic dilutions often fail to have even one molecule of the medication in them). It is hard to imagine how this tablet really “supports teeth formation.”
Chamomile is a plant in the daisy family, widely used as an herbal product in lotions and teas. As with other plant products such as tea, chocolate, and coffee, there are many, many different chemicals extracted from the plant. It is generally safe, though there can be serious allergic reactions. Chamomile is generally thought to have a calming effect. Note that this does not have anything to do with homeopathy; it is not thought that this chemical also causes the symptoms of teething (pain, fussiness, etc.). This product makes the tablets an herbal remedy. It likely causes miscarriages and cannot be used in pregnant women, and is unknown if it is harmful to infants many experts advise against use in breastfeeding moms. In 2010 several cases of infant botulism were linked to chamomile tea and to teething tablets containing chamomile (although the relationship of this to the 2010 recall of teething tablets is unclear). So it is potentially harmful to infants yet it is included in these tablets, not as a homeopathic remedy but as an herbal treatment. However, it is diluted, as with homeopathic medicines, so it is unlikely to have any real presence in the tablets to calm the baby. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/752.html
Coffea cruda is unroasted coffee beans. As with cocoa beans and teas, there are hundreds of chemicals present, including caffeine. The company says it is included for its actions on wakefulness and increased urination. I am aware of wakefulness as a symptom of teething, but no parent has ever complained to me of increased urination as a symptom of teething (and even if it were would it be bothersome?). Coffee, of course, causes wakefulness and increased urination, so presumably this is our first actual homeopathic medicine in these tablets. Giving homeopathic coffee (where no coffee really exists but the former presence of coffee has changed the chemical properties of the dilution liquid) would according to the theory of homeopathy make the body fight against wakefulness and increased urination. This would make it homeopathic. It is diluted so it is unlikely to have any serious effect on the baby, but if it mistakenly had too much coffee and caffeine in it, it could cause serious side effects.
Belladonna, aka deadly nightshade, is a highly toxic plant. Medicines have been made from it, which are quite dangerous or fatal if overdose occurs, and the plant has been used throughout history as a poison. According to the company it is included to “ease the redness, inflammation and discomfort of the child’s gum.” That means that belladonna causes redness, inflammation and discomfort. True to the homeopathic theory, this poison is diluted until little or none is left, but it is thought to change the dilution substance so that it makes the body fight against redness, discomfort and inflammation. In 2010, the FDA analyzed the tablets and found higher concentrations of belladonna in the tablets, and received reports of belladonna toxicity in infants using the tablets, so they were recalled until September, 2011. They also now have a child-proof bottle.
Lactose is the base of the tablet. Lactose is milk sugar, present in breastmilk, formula, and cow’s milk. It is sweet. No wonder these tablets are calming. Sugar has been shown to be a natural anesthetic for infants, both calming them and decreasing their pain reception. We even use it now for painful procedures in infants including circumcision. Since all the other substances in the pills are highly diluted, this is likely the only active ingredient. And it actually should work to calm a baby.
Summary
In summary, these teething tablets contain two homeopathic medicines: coffee, which causes irritabiltiy, to treat the irritability of teething, and belladonna, which causes pain and inflammation, to treat these caused by teething. Both are diluted so as not to really be usually present at all. Chamomile is added as an herbal remedy for relaxation but is so diluted that it can't possibly help, and calcium phosphate is added for tooth health but at so low a dose that it cannot help either, at least not by any science that we now understand. The lactose tablet, however, is very likely to calm a baby and may even relieve some of the pain of teething. But the other substances can be poisonous, and have been accidentally present in the tablets before. It would be much safer to give the baby some sugar tablets for teething than these teething tablets, much cheaper, and just as effective.
