If you’re considering the HCG diet, one of the first big questions is always, HCG shots or drops? Often, it is perceived that injections would be the best way to go—I think it’s because it just sounds more hardcore. But are there really benefits to putting yourself to the extra trouble and pain?
Studies have demonstrated that patients using the oral HCG drops versus the shots tend to experience less hunger and more energy. It’s not conclusive as to exactly why that is, but I think it makes sense—on some level, you satisfy a certain psychological oral fixation by ingesting the hormone that way. It goes into your stomach, which may seem less drastic than jabbing it into your tissue, but I think the body responds more favorably to a friendlier entrance—it’s less likely to go into defense mode.
Oral HCG drops are also easier to get. With the shots, you either have to procure a doctor’s prescription, or you must order from a foreign country, or both; if you order from overseas, it may take up to six weeks to get your HCG. Then you have to concern yourself with mixing, refrigeration, and what to do if you need to travel—not to mention expiration dates. Homeopathic HCG typically doesn’t entail all of this fuss.
With the oral HCG drops, you administer the drops by placing them under your tongue—an age-old method of taking liquid homeopathic and herbal medicines. The idea is for the substance to naturally break down and for the absorption process to have begun before you ever swallow—this makes it easier for your body to process.
You can refrigerate the drops if you like, but keeping them at room temperature is fine because homeopathic methods incorporate alcohol into their processes; the alcohol acts as a preservative to keep the HCG active and effective. Before being opened, the HCG will last indefinitely, but after being opened, it should be used in a timely manner to prevent contamination.
Oral HCG also won’t cause nasty bruises and doesn’t involve poking yourself with a needle, so I would have to say, with all of the evidence lined up, it doesn’t make sense to cause more pain for what may even be less gain.
















