In his 2011 paper published in the International journal of general medicine, (1) Christian Schneider, MD, Ph.D., explains Traumeel injections as an alternative to Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Medicines. He describes the treatment in this way.
“Traumeel is a fixed combination of diluted plant and mineral extracts. It has been available over the counter in Germany for over 60 years and in Austria for over 40 years, and is currently available in approximately 50 countries, including the USA. The combination is currently used to treat acute musculoskeletal injuries, such as sprains and traumatic injuries, and as supportive therapy in pain and inflammation of the musculoskeletal system. It can be used in the form of tablets, drops, injection solution, ointment, and gel.
The ingredients of Traumeel have been used for many years for therapeutic purposes, such as for pain (Atropa belladonna), inflammation (Echinacea), bruising (Arnica montana), wound healing (Matricaria recutita, Calendula officinalis), bleeding (Achillea millefolium), edema (Mercurius solubilis), and infections (Hepar sulfuris). Based on such observations, Traumeel was developed by the German physician, Dr Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg in the 1930s; he combined botanical and mineral substances to produce this natural medicine to treat musculoskeletal injuries and inflammation.”
As described on the website drugs.com, “Traumeel® Injection Solution is an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-edematous, anti-exudative combination formulation of 12 botanical ingredients, 1 mineral substance and 1 animal derived substance. Traumeel® Injection Solution is officially classified as a homeopathic combination drug.”
The goal of Traumeel is to act as an anti-inflammatory and be a safe alternative to NSAIDs and Cortisone
A study published in 2017 in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine (2) showed that Traumeel injections could be beneficial in pain and inflammation reduction in patients with knee osteoarthritis who fail to respond to standard-of-care pain treatments, (anti-inflammatories and cortisone) who are at risk due to the side-effects these medications cause. However, further research is needed to determine if Traumeel injections can slow and/or prevent progression of knee osteoarthritis.
References
1 Schneider C. Traumeel – an emerging option to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the management of acute musculoskeletal injuries. International Journal of General Medicine. 2011;4:225-234. doi:10.2147/IJGM.S16709.
2 Lozada CJ, del Rio E, Reitberg DP, Smith RA, Kahn CB, Moskowitz RW. A double-blind, randomized, saline-controlled study of the efficacy and safety of co-administered intra-articular injections of Tr14 and Ze14 for treatment of painful osteoarthritis of the knee: The MOZArT trial. European Journal of Integrative Medicine. 2017 Aug 1;13:54-63.