 A fascinating article appeared in my inbox the other day, a guest writer for The Free Press Substack wrote an article titled, “The Humans Who Live as Lab Rats.” As the title implies, it’s a look into the people who are clinical trial “professionals.” How do conventional drug trials relate to homeopathy? Well, interesting you should ask. Samuel Hahnemann, the man who thought this whole homeopathy thing up, has been called “the Father of Experimental Pharmacology because he was the first physician to prepare medicines in a specialized way; proving them on healthy human beings, to determine how the medicines acted to cure diseases. Before Hahnemann, medicines were given on speculative indications, mainly on the basis of authority without experimental verification” (Whole Health Now). He was the first to make the provings of medicine a system (Ameke 2007). As noted in The Dynamics and Methodology of Homeopathic Provings (Sherr and National Center For Homoeopathy, 1994), Samuel Hahnemann wrote in his Organon of Medicine: “Therefore medicines, on which depend man’s life and death, disease and health, must be thoroughly and most carefully distinguished from one another, and for this purpose tested by careful, pure experiments on the healthy body for the purpose of ascertaining their powers and real effects, in order to obtain an accurate knowledge of them, and to enable us to avoid any mistake in their employment in diseases, for it is only by correct selection of them that the greatest of all early blessings, the health of the body and of the mind, can be rapidly and permanently restored.” The first remedy that Dr. Hahnemann proved in 1790 was Cinchona bark, or Peruvian bark, also known as quinine and known homeopathically also as China. (I think it’s important to note that Hahnemann had a history of malaria and therefore may have had a possible sensitivity to Cinchona bark (Morrell 2023)). It turns out this first proving wasn’t to learn about the medicine, it was to test a claim made by another that Cinchona was a tonic for the stomach. Hahnemann’s theory was that Cinchona “acts in malaria because in healthy people it can produce symptoms similar to intermittent fever” (Morrell 2023). He took the Cinchona and “produced in himself the symptoms of intermittent fever” (Morrell 2023). Hahnemann “took for several days four drachms of good cinchona bark twice a day; my feet, finger tips, & etc., first grew cold, I become exhausted and sleepy; then my heart began to palpitate, my pulse became hard and rapid; I had intolerable anxiety, trembling (but not rigor), prostration in all my limbs; then throbbing in the head, flushing of the cheeks, thirst and in short all the ordinary symptoms of intermittent fever appeared one after another, but without actual febrile rigor. In a word, even the special characteristic symptoms of intermittent fever, dullness of the senses, a kind of stiffness of all the joints, and in particular the disagreeable numb sensation which seemed to be located in the periostea covering of all the bones of the body, made their appearance. This paroxysm lasted two to three hours each time and returned when I repeated the dose, otherwise not. On leaving off the drug I was soon quite well” (Ameke 2007). That’s quite a discovery — to find that ingesting a substance can create the symptoms of a disease (in this case malaria) but not actually cause the disease itself. This is how homeopathy was born. This is how “like cures like” came to be. In the beginning of his experimenting, Hahnemann was using crude substances, though often using very small doses. However, in an effort to “make medicine more effective and to reduce the poisonous levels of many common medications that caused as much suffering as the disease being treated,” by 1801 he began diluting his medicines (Feissel 2016). From there, he began adding shaking or succussion to the dilutions and with that, homeopathy as we know it was developed. (For more information on preparing homeopathic remedies.) I have written about Cinchona/China a couple of times previously (Rufus update; Dehydration; Nobody needs; Sun), but let’s take a little closer look at this classic homeopathic remedy. When I think of homeopathic China, the first thing that comes to mind is dehydration and the ill effects thereof. Anytime there has been a loss of vital fluids: blood loss, diarrhea, vomiting, even breast feeding — all of these things take a toll on the body and one may benefit from a dose of homeopathic China. Additionally, a person suffering from prolonged strain or over-work. The second thing that comes to mind for me with China is periodic fevers. During these fevers, the skin may feel sensitive. They may have a red face. They may wish to be uncovered while feverish and they may feel a bit better after eating.
Back to provings… One can participate in formal provings of new, unproven remedies, or, one can conduct their own proving — just to see what happens*. To learn more about how homeopathic provings are conducted:
Homeopath Jeremy Sherr did a blinded, placebo-controlled pilot study to see if homeopathic proving symptoms were a result of local, non-local or placebo process (Walach et al. 2004), if you're interested in taking a look at that. I'm so thankful for Dr. Hahnemann's curiosity and perseverance that led us to have this miraculous system of healing still in place all these years later. Julia Coyte, CHom Classically Practical homeopath #wellnessawaits * “It is true that a small number of provers do not emerge unscathed. Usually these sufferings do not last long, but on rare occasions I have known problems to last for months or even years. This serves to remind us that conducting a proving is no light task and should be undertaken with full care and responsibility” (Sherr and National Center For Homoeopathy, 1994). Reference list:
Ameke, W., 2007. History of Homeopathy, Its Origin & Its Conflicts. B Jain Pub Pvt Limited. European Committee for Homeopathy, 2014. Homeopathic Proving Guidelines [online]. European Committee for Homeopathy, n.d. Provings [online]. The European Committee for Homeopathy. Feissel, J., 2016. Hahnemann’s History of Potentization. The American Homeopath [online], 22–28. Hahnemann, S., n.d. Materia Medica Pura, Volume 1. Memphis, USA: General Books LLC. Integrative Medicine Institute, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Heel GmbH, 2014. A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Homeopathic Drug Proving Using a Crossover Design [online]. clinicaltrials.gov. Morrell, P., 2023. Hahnemann’s First Provings. - Peter Morrell [online]. homeoint.org. Provings.info, 2023. Provings Info [online]. www.provings.info. Sherr, J. and National Center For Homoeopathy (U.S, 1994. The dynamics and methodology of homeopathic provings. West Malvern, England: Dynamis Books. The Field Provings, 2023. Provings [online]. The Field Provings. Walach, H., Sherr, J., Schneider, R., Shabi, R., Bond, A. and Rieberer, G., 2004. Homeopathic proving symptoms: result of a local, non-local, or placebo process? A blinded, placebo-controlled pilot study. Homeopathy: The Journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy [online], 93 (4), 179–185. Whole Health Now, n.d. Samuel Hahnemann, 1755 - 1843, Founder of Homeopathy [online]. www.wholehealthnow.com.
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 Why do homeopathic remedies have silly sounding names? Homeopathic remedies are always referred to by their Latin name. The world over, Apis mellifica (Honey Bee in English; abeja in Spanish; honigbiene in German; медоносная пчела in Russian, at least according to the Internet) will be known as the same thing and easily found. Finding the right potency, however, can be confusing. This article is the first in a series of background information on homeopathic medicine:
Potency, or strength (for lack of a better word) is indicated by the number following the name of the remedy on the tube of homeopathic pellets (see above photo). What you would find on the shelves in most stores in the US would most likely be 6c, 30c and occasionally 200c. You may also see some with a low number preceding an "X". These numbers indicate how many times the remedy has been diluted and succussed (shaken or banged against a solid object). This process is referred to as “potentization” and it is this process that makes the original substance “potent.” “Sorry, what?” Ok. Let’s back up a moment. Homeopathic remedies are made from virtually any substance.1 A soluble substance, one that is able to be dissolved in liquid, is made into a tincture. From this tincture that has been created, one part is taken and added to 99 parts of a mixture of alcohol and water and succussed (shaken) 100 times. This is now a 1c potency. Non-soluble substances are triturated (ground up) with lactose* (generally speaking).2 Taking one part substance and adding it to 99 parts lactose creates a 1c potency. (Once this substance has been triturated a few times, the mixture is able to be processed further through the liquid method listed above.) Thus, a 30c potency has been diluted (1:100) 30 times and succussed/shaken 100 times, 30 times over. (This 30c liquid is then sprayed on the pellets to create the remedy. When the instructions on the homeopathic vial state that 4 or 5 pellets are equal to 1 dose, they are saying that one in every 4 or 5 pellets is guaranteed to have the remedy on it.)  http://i1.wp.com/www.drjurj.ro/homeopatie/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/homeopathic-dilutions-diagram.jpg An X potency is created in the same manner but instead of 100 (c), it is diluted and succussed 10 (x) times. A dilution of 1:10 is designated as 1x. (A 6c potency is 10 times as dilute as a 6x potency. As a point of interest, 6x & 3c have a similar potentization. I know it's baffling, but don't you find it kind of fascinating?!) There are other designations used throughout the world and there are other potency scales used. For the purpose of this article, we will only be addressing X and C potencies. I include the table below for a glimpse into what else is out there in the world of homeopathic designations and for our non-US readers to be able to equate their homeopathic designations to ours.  If you’re with me so far, here’s where homeopathy can get confusing. The lower the number, the more of the original substance remains. The larger the number, the less of the original substance remains and therefore is considered more potent or more powerful. It is this counterintuitive point that is the basis for a lot of the controversy that surrounds homeopathy. After 23 dilutions in the decimal scale (X) (Robinson, 2014) or 11th or 12th centesimal potency (C) (Lockie, 1993), there are no molecules of the original substance left. "What? There is nothing of the original substance left? Nope, not to a normal microscope anyway. I told you it was going to get confusing. Chikramane et al., (2017) found nanoparticles of the starting metals in 30c and 200c remedies. Put in simpler terms… if I were to take some feces and put it through the potentization process mentioned above, would you want to drink that glass of water? That's what I thought, too. Something has to still be hanging around in there, even if a standard microscope can't see it. “Why dilute the existing substance in the first place? Why don’t you just use the original substance in its original form?” That’s a good question. Samuel Hahnemann, who founded homeopathy as we know it back in the late 1700s, learned through his experimentation that some of his patients got worse before they got better and as a result began to dilute his remedies to provide a gentler cure. He found they not only avoided the “aggravations” with these diluted remedies, but they also worked “faster and more effectively. They were, paradoxically, weaker but more potent” (Lockie 1993, p. 2). Some of the substances used to make homeopathic remedies are highly toxic and would not be safe to ingest in their original form. But, the homeopathic potentization process (when followed according to the strict methods as described in The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS) results in a new substance so dilute and gentle that adverse affects are similar to those caused by placebo (Stub et al., 2016). (No, homeopathy is not simply a placebo based on sugar pills to make you think you feel better. I will post an article on this topic in the future.) Science has not yet caught up with homeopathy. Despite hundreds of years of use and clinical success, science still has no explanation for this phenomenon. They are seemingly making inroads, however, and the latest explanation lies in the water and the idea that water has a memory (Homeopathy Research Institute | HRI, 2018; Pollack Lab, n.d.). It is this memory of the substance in the water that acts curatively in the body to help the body strengthen itself. Julia Coyte, CHom classicallypractical.com #wellnessawaits 1 The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS) defines the exact standards, tests and guidelines for each remedy. See https://www.hpus.com for more information. 2 If you are lactose intolerant and concerned about taking homeopathic remedies, contact me to see if we can address that problem, homeopathically speaking. The amount of lactose in the pellets is quite small, but, since the medicine is on the outside of the pellets, you can realistically have them in your mouth for a very short time and then spit them out and still gain the benefit as the medicine will be absorbed quite quickly. *Ollois is a relatively new homeopathic remedy manufacturer that is lactose free, available now in some grocery and natural food stores in the US. OHM Pharmacy also states their pellets are free of lactose. If you struggle with lactose intolerance, book an appointment to help relieve you of this burden or contact me for how best to take homeopathic remedies so lactose will not be an issue. Sources referenced in the writing of this article:
Chikramane, P.S., Suresh, A.K., Kane, S.G. and Bellare, J.R. (2017). Metal nanoparticle induced hormetic activation: a novel mechanism of homeopathic medicines. Homeopathy: The Journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy, [online] 106(3), pp.135–144. Creedy |, M. (2016). Potency - the power of Homeopathy. Helios Homeopathy (n.d.). helios-frontend. Homeopathy Research Institute | HRI. (2018). “New Horizons in Water Science”: Evidence for Homeopathy? Lockie, A. (1993). The family guide to homeopathy : symptoms and natural solutions. New York: Simon & Schuster. Nelsons. (2021). Homeopathic Dilution. Pollack Lab (n.d.). research. [online] pollacklab. Reichenberg-Ullman, J. and Ullman, D. (2010). Homeopathic Potency Selection Simplified (Feb/March 2010) Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients. [online] www.townsendletter.com. Robinson, K. (2014). Small doses big results : how homeopathic medicine offers hope in chronic disease. Stub, T., Musial, F., Kristoffersen, A.A., Alræk, T. and Liu, J. (2016). Adverse effects of homeopathy, what do we know? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, [online] 26, pp.146–163. |
Julia Coyte, CHomI am passionate about homeopathy and I love sharing this passion. Having a working knowledge of homeopathy shouldn't be kept a secret. If people have the ability to help themselves, their children and their friends when they have minor ailments, life just gets better for everyone. That is the purpose behind Ruminating on Remedies. Archives
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