Homeopathy for OCD: A Pathway to Peace

OCD is not just a quirky personality trait - it’s an all-encompassing, exhausting experience that impacts the spirit just as much as the mind. I've been treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with homeopathy for over a decade, and I want you to know: if you're struggling with OCD - the intrusive thoughts, the checking, the researching and the re-re-re-arranging, you're not alone. 

In my practice, I've seen profound shifts happen for people with OCD using both naturopathic interventions and individualized homeopathic remedies. 

Let’s start by understanding what OCD actually is.

Understanding OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental health condition that involves two main parts: obsession and compulsion.

Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts that can feel impossible to control or ignore. These may be worries, fears, images, or ideas that repeat over and over.

Compulsions are the things a person does in order to relieve their anxiety or “fix” the issue (although they just make it worse in the long run). 

Examples of obsessions and compulsions include:

• Intrusive thought: Worrying excessively about having various health conditions (sometimes called health anxiety OCD)

  • Compulsion: Googling symptoms or conditions repeatedly

• Intrusive thought: You or something in your environment is “contaminated,” either by germs or by something unclean

  • Compulsion: Repeated hand washing; avoiding certain spaces, items, or people

• Intrusive thought: You will do something terrible (often whatever your worst nightmare behavior would be - hurting yourself or someone else, doing something humiliating, etc)

  • Compulsion: Checking to make sure the other person is okay, asking for reassurance, avoiding trigger objects such as kitchen knives, or mental rituals such as chants or prayers

Why Does My Brain Do This??

OCD is primarily an issue of low serotonin (other neurotransmitters are involved, but lack of serotonin is the biggest culprit). Serotonin is a feel-good neurotransmitter that soothes your “fight or flight” response. When you serotonin is too low your brain is more inclined to be in a state of fear, reactivity, and pessimism. 

This is one reason that OCD can be worse in winter months for some folks, when low sunlight exposure makes it harder for the brain to use and re-use serotonin. Some people who menstruate also notice their OCD getting worse just before their period starts. This is because estrogen tanks just before the period, and estrogen increases and regulates serotonin levels in the brain. 

If this all sounds familiar, I see you. And I want you to know that there are holistic approaches that can support real healing. That’s where homeopathy comes in.

Using Homeopathy for OCD

Homeopathy is a form of nanomedicine that uses diluted doses of plants, minerals, and other substances to support the body and mind in healing. It’s gentle but powerful, and when the right homeopathic remedy is matched to the right person, it can bring deep and lasting changes. 

We have several thousand homeopathic remedies to choose from, and many of them are helpful for OCD. Each one has a different personality, a different energetic story, and choosing the right one depends on the unique presentation of each individual.

Here are just a handful of the remedies I use frequently with my patients:

Argentum nitricum

Folks who need Argentum nitricum have a hard time stopping themselves from doing and saying every bizarre little thing that pops into their minds. They know this about themselves and they can feel exquisitely afraid of what they might do if they don't work hard to control their speech and behavior at all times. 

Intrusive thoughts often revolve around “what if’s.” What if I suddenly throw up during class? What if I blurt out “I love you” to this random person? What if I throw my book at my professor? Or, the much more disturbing “what if I drive into oncoming traffic?” or similarly frightening thoughts. 

Arsenicum album 

This remedy is for folks who are deeply afraid of chaos and disorder, because chaos means they’ll be unsafe in the world. They worry about money, they worry about their health, they worry about germs. Only a few things can take the edge off: cleaning everything, controlling everyone, and making sure someone is always there (preferably in the next room over) if they have an emergency. 

Mancinella

This is a remedy for people with OCD who torture themselves relentlessly over one central question: Am I a bad person? For some this means endless thoughts such as “what if I hurt myself? What if I hurt my family? What if I am ruining (insert important person)’s life?” In other cases, especially when religious trauma has been a factor in a person’s life, this can even go so far as “What if I am evil… or possessed…or the actual devil itself?” 

This fear of being "bad" and the constant overthinking can lead them to withdraw under the misguided idea that they’re protecting others from the dangerous person they believe themselves to be.

Phosphorus 

People who need this remedy tend to be open, social, sweet, and childlike in a really charming way. They often have some kind of psychic qualities - they sense other people’s feelings, they say the sentence someone else is thinking. Maybe in part because of this openness, they also struggle with random, intense fears. For adults, Phosphorus OCD often revolves around health anxiety, while in kids it may involve things like the dark, being alone, or monsters. 

Dietary Changes for OCD

Diet and lifestyle can do huge things for OCD. When your nervous system is constantly in overdrive, even small changes in what you eat and how you live can make a meaningful difference.

Some folks with OCD feel better when they cut back on stimulants like caffeine. This is not because tea or coffee are bad (god knows I can't live without black tea), but because OCD is already a highly stimulated brain state. Adding more stimulation - whether it’s an espresso, a bag of gummy worms, or scrolling TikTok at midnight—can sometimes push the brain further into an exhausted, dysregulated state. It’s not about being perfect or rigid. It’s about asking: what helps my brain calm down?

For some people, skipping meals can also trigger intrusive thoughts or make compulsions worse. So eating regular meals with plenty of protein, healthy fats, and nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens, wild salmon, eggs, and berries can help your brain stay more grounded. It’s not a cure, but it’s a support - one of many things that can come together to help you heal.

You don’t need a rigid meal plan. You don’t need to biohack your way to inner peace. You just need to listen in - with real curiosity -to what makes your brain feel steady and safe. Food isn’t a fix-all. But it is one of the many love languages your body understands.

Peace is Possible

OCD is not you - it’s just your brain expressing an unmet need. You’re not broken. You’re not too much. Your brain is trying to protect you. And with the right support, it can learn to rest.

At Juniper Tree, my practice is queer-affirming, trauma-informed, and deeply rooted in the belief that healing doesn’t have to be harsh to be effective. If you're curious, you're welcome here. If you're skeptical, you're still welcome. If you're tired of managing and want something different, come talk to me. Peace is possible…and the path can be gentler than you think.