HomeopathyHomeopathy is a system of alternative medicine developed in the late 18th century by Samuel Hahnemann. Hahnemann based his system on older ideas about “like cures like”.

 

One of the main ideas in homeopathy is that a substance that would cause certain symptoms in a healthy person can cure similar symptoms caused by disease in a sick person.

 

Homeopathic dilution

 

In homeopathy, homeopathic medicine is created using a process known as homeopathic dilution (also called potentisation or dynamisation). The active ingredient is repeatedly diluted in distilled water or alcohol and the vessel struck against an elastic material, such as a leather-bound book. The process of vigorously shaking the solution is known as succussion. Samuel Hahnemann believed that the process of succussion “activated the vital energy” of the diluted ingredient, and that this increased the potency of the preparation.

 

Certain active ingredients, e.g. quartz, are grinded with lactose before the dilution process.

 

No molecules left

 

In most homeopathic medicines, the dilution is so severe that no molecules of the active substance remains in the finished product.

 

Examples of commonly used homeopathic preparations

Homeopathic name(s) Substance origin Homeopathic use against
Aconite Aconitum napellus

Wolf’s bane

Shock

Influenza

Fever

Aesculus hippocastanum Aesculus hippocastanum

Horse-chestnut

Hemorrhoids

Varicose veins

Anthracinum

Anthracinum bovum

Anthracinum suum

Anthrax poison extracted from the spleen of infected animals All types of furuncles, from acne to septic wounds and gangrene furuncles
Allium cepa Allium cepa

Onion

Itching eyes

Lachrymation

Allergies

Antimonium tartaricum Antimony potassium tartrate Impetigo
Argentum nitricum Silver nitrate Fear

Anxiety

Conjunctivitis

Arnica Arnica montana

Leopard’s bane

Shock

Bruising

Arsenicum album Arsenic trioxide

White arsenic

Cold

Influenza

Diarrhea

Food poisoning

Baptisia Baptisia tinctoria

Horsefly weed

Fever
Belladonna Atropa belladonna

Deadly nightshade

High fever with redness and delirium
Bellis perennis Bellis perennis

Common daisy

Wounds
Bryonia Bryonia alba

White bryony

Fever

Cough

Pleuritis

Joint pain

Calcarea carbonica Calcium carbonate from an oyster shell Indigestion
Calendula Calendula officinalis

Marigold

Wounds
Camphor Cinnamomum camphora

Camphor tree

Cholera
Colocynthis Citrullus colocynthis

Desert gourd

Diarrhoea
Cuprum metallicum Copper Cholera

Diarrhoea

Gut pain

Digitalis Digitalis purpurea

Foxglove

Heart conditions
Drosera Drosera rotundifolia

Sundew

Cough
Ferrum phosphoricum Iron phosphate Nosebleed

Haemorrhages

Glonoinum Nitroglycerine Facial neuralgias

Heat headaches

Graphites Graphite Itching cracked skin

Eczema

Psoriasis

Hamamelis Hamamelis virginiana

Witch hazel

Haemorrhoids

Varicose veins

Hepar sulfuris calcareum Calcium sulfide Boils,

Abscesses

Croup

Ignatia amara Strychnos ignatii

St. Ignatius bean

The beans of the plant contain the alkaloids strychnine and brucine.

Grief
Kalium bichromicum Potassium dichromate Thick secretions from the mucous membranes of the sinuses and respiratory tract
Lachesis Lachesis muta

Bushmaster snake, a venomous pit viper species found in South America

Diphteric paralysis

Sensation of tension in parts of the body

Ledum Ledum palustre

Marsh Labrador tea

Bites

Stings

Puncture wounds

Mercurius vivus Mercury Sore throat

Sinus problems

Boils

Diarrhea

Itching

Natrum muriaticum Sodium chloride

NaCl

Table salt

Irritability
Natrum sulphuricum Sodium sulphate Asthma

Headaches

Warts

Nux vomica Strychnos nux-vomica

Strychnine tree

Nausea

Hangover

Substance abuse

Oscillococcinum Cairina moschata liver

Muscovy duck liver

Cold

Influenza

Petroleum Crude oil Eczema

Psoriasis

Other skin problems

Phosphorus Phosphorus Hoarseness

Cough

Cough that gets worse in cold air

Cough that gets worse when laying on the left side

Bruises

Burns

Small wounds that bleed profusely

Constipation

Fear

Fear of the dark

Fear of thunderstorms

Anxiety

Anxiety when alone

Apathy

Cravings for cold things such as ice water and ice cream

Picricum acidum Picric acid Water retention

Confusion

Pulsatilla Pasque flower Menstrual problems

Colds

Being sad and despondent

Indecision

Dryness of the mouth, but without thirst

Rhus toxicodendron Toxicodendron radicans

Poison ivy

Fever and joint pain
Ruta Ruta graveolens

Common rue

Ligament trauma

Conditions involving tendons

Conditions involving fibrous tissue

Stiff joints

Strained eyes

Sepia Cuttlefish ink PMS

Menopausal problems

Vaginal thrush

Menorrhagia

Amenorrhea

Dysmenorrhea

Female infertility

Silicea Flint Sensitivity to cold
Sulphur Sulfur Skin issues

General debility

Thea Sinensis

Camellia Sinensis

Leaves of Camellia sinensis

Tea plant leaves

Insomnia

Nightmares

Thuja Thuja occidentalis

Northern white-cedar

Warts
Urtica urens Urtica dioica

Stinging nettle

Burns

Bites

Stings

History

 

Homeopathy was developed by Samuel Hahnemann in the late 18th century and rose to popularity in the 19th century, especially in Europe and the United States.

 

In 1825, one of Hahnemann’s students named Hans Birch Gram introduced homeopathy to the United States, where the first homeopathic school opened in 1835. It would take until 1944 before the American Institute of Homeopathy was formed in the country. In the year 1900, there were over 20 homeopathic colleges in the United States, and an estimated 15,000 practitioners. By the 1950s, less than 80 known pure homeopathic practitioners remained.

 

In the midst of the counter-culture movement of the 1970s, homeopathy made a comeback in the United States, especially within New Age circles.

 

Data from the year 2007 show that over-the-counter homeopathic medicines for $2.7 million were sold in the United States.