# Homeopathic "remedy" recalled for having an actual active ingredient **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 8, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862 "2025-08-08T13:57:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RAWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@RAWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWDuke)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/1 "2025-08-08T13:57:56Z")
The definition of the word “ironic” has always eluded me, is this an example of irony? The homeopathic cold remedy Zicam has been recalled for having an actual active ingredient! [Zicam recall](https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/church-dwight-co-inc-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-zicamr-cold-remedy-nasal-swabs-zicamr-nasal) I’ve been wondering how a company actually manufactures homeopathic remedies. I know you mix the ingredient 10/1 in a carrier (water, alcohol, sugar), take a tenth of that and mix it again 10/1, and do that 20 or 30 times until there’s no measurable amount of the original ingredient left. But, how do we know the manufacturer is actually doing that? How could we tell they’re not simply packaging sugar pills? I’m sure they could save a lot of money, and nobody could ever tell the difference. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/2 "2025-08-08T14:08:04Z")
I’d assume there is a legally enforceable definition of “homeopathic” and they could be sued if they don’t in fact prepare their product that way. Just like if you claim your product is Halal or Kosher but don’t do any of the things that make it Halal or Kosher ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/3 "2025-08-08T14:26:23Z")
“Holy shit, it works! We fucked up bad!!” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/4 "2025-08-08T14:43:33Z")
Who is checking, and what are the actual penalties? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/5 "2025-08-08T14:46:06Z")
In other news, pro-wrestler suspended for going off script and actually defeating his opponent by superior wrestling skills. 😜 ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/6 "2025-08-08T14:50:32Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > I’d assume there is a legally enforceable definition of “homeopathic” and they could be sued if they don’t in fact prepare their product that way. > > Just like if you claim your product is Halal or Kosher but don’t do any of the things that make it Halal or Kosher There are no legally enforceable definitions, only legally enforceable trademarks. If you want to use a particular trademark, you need the permission of its owner. And the owner may enforce whatever standards it wishes. > **[Kosher certification agency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher_certification_agency)** > > A kosher certification agency is an organization or certifying authority that grants a hechsher (Hebrew: הכשר, "seal of approval") to ingredients, packaged foods, beverages, and certain materials, as well as food-service providers and facilities in which kosher food is prepared or served. This certification verifies that the ingredients, production process including all machinery, and/or food-service process complies with the standards of kashrut (Jewish dietary law) as stipulated in the Shulchan... > **[Halal | Halal certification in the US](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halal#Halal_certification_in_the_US)** > > Halal certifications are provided by a number of agencies in the United States. Depending on how the certification will be used for domestic or international export, the certification may need to be done by a qualified entity. If it's for domestic use a local agency with proper knowledge, training and background can issue a halal certificate. If the certificate is going to be used for export then the halal certifier needs to be accredited by the country the halal product is being exported to. A c... > **[National Organic Program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Organic_Program)** > > The National Organic Program (NOP) is the federal regulatory framework in the United States of America governing organic food. It is also the name of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) program responsible for administering and enforcing the regulatory framework. The core mission of the NOP is to protect the integrity of the USDA organic seal. The seal is used for products adhering to USDA standards that contain at least 95% organic ingredients.... I can’t find any restrictions on using the term homeopathic in United States. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/7 "2025-08-08T14:54:31Z")
> [@RAWDuke](#): > > The homeopathic cold remedy Zicam has been recalled for having an actual active ingredient! > > [Zicam recall](https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/church-dwight-co-inc-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-zicamr-cold-remedy-nasal-swabs-zicamr-nasal) ? The link says that the products were recalled for potential microbial contamination, nothing about their ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/8 "2025-08-08T14:56:41Z")
I wonder what the people who work at these kinds of fake “drug” manufacturers are allowed to say? Like, presumably they are intelligent, educated people (this isn’t some little hippy heath food shop, it’s a major international company) they must know it’s all bullshit. But presumably if they say that in written communication that’s the basis for a huge lawsuit. So is there an “elephant in the room” where they all know what they are doing is bullshit, but no one is ever allowed to say that? They all need to keep up the fiction that they believe what they are making isn’t bullshit? ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/9 "2025-08-08T15:01:35Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > There are no legally enforceable definitions Surely that’s not the case. I can’t say my product is hand made by apache craftsmen in the high desert when it’s made in a factory in New Jersey. Even if there is no official organization of Apache desert craftsmen whose trademarked certification I’m using without permission ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/10 "2025-08-08T15:04:25Z")
The history of homeopathic medicine and Congress is a very dirty history, and it is protected in ways that will make you cry. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/11 "2025-08-08T15:07:24Z")
I have heard of pharmacists filling prescriptions for homeopathic “remedies” with ordinary tap water from the sink in the pharmacy, on the grounds that it’s a generic equivalent with the same active ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![RAWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@RAWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWDuke)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/12 "2025-08-08T15:20:19Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > ? The link says that the products were recalled for potential microbial contamination, nothing about their ingredients. I was being ironic. (I think 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/13 "2025-08-08T15:20:33Z")
> [@RAWDuke](#): > > But, how do we know the manufacturer is actually doing that? How could we tell they’re not simply packaging sugar pills? I’m sure they could save a lot of money, and nobody could ever tell the difference. At those ridiculously dilute homeopathic levels, the actual active ingredient (whatever ghost of a molecule remains) would cost almost nothing—probably fractions of a penny. A sugar carrier would likely cost more than the “active ingredient.” The real expense? Packaging, labeling, shipping, quality control, and regulatory paperwork. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/14 "2025-08-08T15:29:33Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > At those ridiculously dilute homeopathic levels, the actual active ingredient (whatever ghost of a molecule remains) would cost almost nothing—probably fractions of a penn Though it’s a lot of work for someone to do, and you need to pay them to do it (and make sure they are trained well enough so you don’t end up, say, getting bacterial contamination 🙄 ). If you want zero atoms of the active ingredients in your base, it’s much cheaper and easier to just not put any of them in to begin with ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/15 "2025-08-08T15:35:48Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Surely that’s not the case. I can’t say my product is hand made by apache craftsmen in the high desert when it’s made in a factory in New Jersey. Even if there is no official organization of Apache desert craftsmen whose trademarked certification I’m using without permission I think he means that there are no legally enforceable definitions of “kosher” or “halal”. It is, in fact, totally legal to claim that your ham-and-cheese sandwiches are kosher, it’s up to the consumer to evaluate your trustworthiness. Which is as it should be, we don’t want the government deciding who is defining religious law the “correct” way. Even in the case you mention, you could be sued for consumer fraud, but even then the plaintiff would have to prove that a reasonable consumer wouldn’t have purchased your product if they’d known the label was inaccurate. There have been frivolous lawsuits where people claimed to have been defrauded because the snow-capped mountain on the label of their bottled water didn’t accurately depict the area from which the water was drawn, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/16 "2025-08-08T16:14:07Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > > [@RAWDuke](#): > > > > The homeopathic cold remedy Zicam has been recalled for having an actual active ingredient! > > > > [Zicam recall](https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/church-dwight-co-inc-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-zicamr-cold-remedy-nasal-swabs-zicamr-nasal) > > ? The link says that the products were recalled for potential microbial contamination, nothing about their ingredients. This. Unless the OP linked to the wrong thing, the description of the article is effectively a complete bait and switch. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/17 "2025-08-08T16:18:15Z")
They’d still have to pay people to fill bottles with the carrier/inactive ingredient(s), and they’re subject to inspections, regulatory compliance, and paperwork. Skipping the active wouldn’t meaningfully cut costs, but it could get them fined, shut down, or publicly embarrassed. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/18 "2025-08-08T16:21:18Z")
But _are_ they subject to those things? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/19 "2025-08-08T16:21:36Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Skipping the active wouldn’t meaningfully cut costs, but it could get them fined, shut down, or publicly embarrassed. “There’s a molecule in there, _you_ find it.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862/20 "2025-08-08T16:24:51Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > ? The link says that the products were recalled for potential microbial contamination, nothing about their ingredients. Technically live microbes count as an “active ingredient”. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > The history of homeopathic medicine and Congress is a very dirty history, and it is protected in ways that will make you cry. ISTR we have [Orrin Hatch](https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/utahs-senator-orrin-hatch-defender-of-the-supplement-industry/) to thank for much of the current situation. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathic-remedy-recalled-for-having-an-actual-active-ingredient/1021862.md?page=2)