[This article contains information on medicinal herbalism, read our Medical Disclaimer here.]
Have you ever used a homeopathic remedy? Most of us have at some point. The products are common in drug stores and used as alternatives to pharmaceutical over-the-counter medications.
Here's a common scenario: you or a loved one has come down with a cold, and you go to the store looking for something to help relieve your symptoms. You pick up a homeopathic remedy marketed for cold and flu because you assume that it will be a gentler option over Nyquil, yet still effective. It wouldn’t be on the store shelves if it didn’t work, right?
Homeopathy is often mistaken to be similar to traditional herbal medicine because the terms are used interchangeably. However, the final products are very different.
People regularly buy and use homeopathic products not understanding what they are made of. But if they did, they would be much more skeptical about buying it. Knowing what is in the products that we consume gives us the power to make better buying decisions. It’s up to us to determine if the products are worth our money, or if they have the potential to be damaging to our health.
I've been studying herbal medicine for the past 5 years, and because of this, I have a good understanding of what plants are capable of and how effective remedies are made. After learning about homeopathy, I would never use the products, and I wouldn't recommend that my family, friends, or clients use them either.
In this article, I'll discuss:
The foundational principles of homeopathy that are used to formulate the products, and how they are not backed by science.
Homeopathic products are so diluted that they are biochemically inert and have no effect on the body.
Homeopathic products stay on the market simply because they don’t cause harm.
What is Homeopathy?
The homeopathic practice was created in 1796 by the German physician, Samuel Hahnemann. He formulated his remedies based on two foundational ideas:
The 'like cures like' model says that the same ingredient that causes illness in a healthy person, will cure illness in a sick person.
The law of minimum dose says that the more diluted the formula, the more potent it is. This is the belief that the smaller the dose of active ingredients, the greater its effectiveness (“Homeopathy.” NHS, 2021).
Let's take a closer look at how these beliefs are used in the practice.
Like Cures Like
Hahnemann came up with the first foundational principle of homeopathy with his own anecdotal experience with Peruvian bark (Cinchona officinalis). After reading in a medical textbook that the herb was used to treat malaria, he consumed an unknown amount of the herb and experienced fever and chills, which are common symptoms of malaria.
From this, Hahnemann determined that a substance that cures the disease in a sick individual will cause the same symptoms in a healthy person. Peruvian bark was later determined to contain quinine, which kills the parasite that causes malaria (Loudon, 2006).
Law of Minimum Dose
The second principle of homeopathy, the law of minimum dose, means that the more diluted a product is, the more potent it is believed to be, and the more effective its healing capabilities are.
Homeopathic remedies begin with ingredients like plants, minerals, and animal products, that are then diluted in a solvent many times. The practitioner creating the remedy shakes the product in between dilutions to make the product "remember" the original ingredients (Loudon, 2006). By the time the remedy is finished, the active ingredient is undetectable from the dilution, rendering the product biochemically inert.
Homeopathy uses the philosophy that the body wants to heal itself and is more than capable of doing so. Homeopathic remedies aim to stimulate this healing process rather than focus on the ability of the chemical compounds being administered.
In a peer-reviewed study of systematic reviews on the effects of homeopathy by the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, it was determined that “homeopathic products have no greater significant effect than placebos alone, and therefore, cannot be considered an evidence-based form of therapy” (Ernst, 2002).
It's important to keep in mind that at the time in history when Hahnemann and his practices were thriving, Western medicine was in the dark ages. Most physicians were doing harm to their patients rather than healing them. With Hahnemann's homeopathic remedies being largely placebos, he wasn't doing harm to those he was treating. A lot of his patients were eventually able to heal from their illnesses through their immune system functions, and so his patients fared better than his competitors.
This is the same reason why these products continue to be used today: people take them and a few days later they feel better. They attribute this recovery to the product when their immune system was going to heal them anyway.
How to Read Homeopathic Product Labels
The label of homeopathic products will give the Latin name for the active ingredient(s) that are used, followed by how many times the formula has been diluted, represented by either a ‘C’, ‘X’, or 'M'. Example: 200C.
The dilution rating may also be followed by a ‘K’ or an ‘H’. The ‘K’ after the dilution refers to a manufacturing technique known as the Korsakovian method, which is about how the formula is transferred between vials in the dilution process. The Hahnemann method, labeled as 'H' is implied if there is no 'K' after the dilution rating. Neither method changes the dilution rate of what's on the label.
Strap in, the math of the dilution ratings is truly mind-boggling.
The ‘X’ stands for decimal dilutions which mean the formula is at a dilution of 1:10. The formula is prepared by creating a Mother Tincture, which is 1-part extract of the active ingredient, and 9-parts solvent, which is typically ethanol or water. This creates a dilution equaling a 1X or 10%.
The ‘C’ stands for centesimal dilutions and is most commonly used. This means the formula is at a dilution rate of 1:100, labeled as 1C. To clarify, this is 1-part active ingredient mixed with 99-parts of a solvent, creating a dilution of 1%.
For a 2C formula, 1-part of this 1C formula is diluted with another 99-parts solvent, equaling 1:10000 dilution, or 10^-4, or 0.0001%. This process of taking 1-part of the diluted formula before it, and combining it with 99-parts solvent continues with each increase in the dilution rating.
Here is a diagram of this process that’s taken from the website of a popular homeopathic product manufacturer, Boiron.
(“Homeopathic Dilutions”, Boiron, 2022).
Remember that the second principle of homeopathy is that the more diluted the formula is, the more potent it is believed to be. So, a dilution of 30C is considered a less potent remedy than a dilution of 200C.
Dilution labels with the letter ‘M’ are the highest level of dilution and are considered the most potent. With ‘CM’ being the highest available (“Homeopathic Dilution.” Nelsons, 2022).
1M = 1000C
CM = 100,000C
As you’ll see in the next section of this article, the percentage of the active ingredient in the products with these dilution ratings is such a small number that it isn’t worth writing out.
Often, the formula is then made into sugar pellets to be easily dissolved under the tongue. Other formulas are left as a tincture or were formulated with oil as the solvent and are intended to be applied topically.
Oscillococcinum
Let’s look at a common homeopathic product marketed for cold and flu symptoms. Oscillococcinum has 20,000 reviews on Amazon and a 5-star overall rating. Clearly, this product is very popular.
(“Oscillococcinum: Homeopathic Medicine for Flu Symptoms”, Oscillo, 2022).
The active ingredient used in this particular product is the liver and heart of a duck. Written on the label in its Latin name, Anus barbariae.
The 200CK dilution of this product means that it is diluted to 1-part active ingredient to 10^400-parts solvent.
This means the product contains: 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001%
of the original active ingredient.
In practice, the law of minimum dose means that by the time the remedy is finished, and available to be used by the consumer, not even one atom of the active ingredient is detectable in the product (Schwarcz, 2017).
Imagine going to the store for medicine and buying pressed sugar tablets made entirely of water that at one point also contained duck meat. I’m sure this makes you wonder why these products are still on the market, let alone stocked on every major store’s shelves.
Why do these products stay on the market?
The final thing to understand is that homeopathic products stay on the market simply because they are unlikely to cause harm.
We’ve established that homeopathic products on the market are entirely made up of the solvent, which is most commonly water. A product that has no active ingredient cannot cause harm to an individual taking it, and this is what homeopaths are counting on.
The reviews on these store-bought homeopathic remedies seem to be a mix of 5-stars, where the customer claims the product works brilliantly and quickly. Or, they’re rated 1-star, because the customer says the product didn't work at all. I have no explanation further than the placebo effect for why people have success with these products. The benefit of the placebo effect on the healing process has been widely studied in the scientific community, which is why it is given to participants in clinical trials to test the impact of medications when the patient is already expecting to see improvements.
There have been numerous lawsuits against the homeopathic company, Boiron. The lawsuits were filed on the basis that the company was using false advertising by claiming its products cure cold and flu symptoms. The results of the lawsuits required the company to put a disclaimer on its packaging stating that the product's claims have not been evaluated by the FDA. This can be found on the back of the product packaging which reads, "These "uses" have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration" (Powell, 2022).
With the 'like cures like' model, irritants are used as the active ingredient in homeopathic products. Some, like this product containing poison ivy (Rhus toxicodendron) made by Boiron, is marketing for joint pain (“Rhus Tox for Joint Pain Relief,” Boiron, 2022). Adverse effects from the use of homeopathic remedies have been reported. Most of these are attributed to products like this one (Posadzki, 2012).
The FDA doesn’t regulate what is put out into the market, but they do recall products or ban ingredients that are proven to be dangerous. Currently, there are no homeopathic products on the market that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, 2021).
By avoiding harming those who use their products, these homeopathic companies are able to stay on the market and claim that their products work despite the lack of scientific evidence that they have any positive effect on human health.
Homeopathy vs. Herbal Medicine
Homeopathy gives alternative medicine a bad name and decreases the public's trust in the healing properties of herbs. Homeopathy does not use high enough doses of herbal constituents to be effective and shares no practical relation to the worldwide and historic use of herbal medicine.
I recommend never buying homeopathic remedies as they are a waste of money. If you're looking for remedies that work and will make a difference to your health, stick to using whole herbs and derivatives of them, such as teas, extracts, and essential oils.
The Mercurial Consciousness website was created to be a reliable educational resource for professional and layman herbalists. My job is to teach others more about how to use herbs to prevent disease and support the body in healing common ailments. Herbs contain chemical compounds that have well-documented and clinically-proven effects on the body. When they are used in the correct application, and in the correct dose, herbs can be very effective. Don’t let the philosophical practice of homeopathic products taint your perspective on herbal medicine as a whole.
Sincerely,
Emilee Wright
A Mercurial Consciousness
Works Cited
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Homeopathic Products.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1 Nov. 2021, https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/homeopathic-products#:~:text=How%20are%20homeopathic%20products%20regulated,homeopathic%20products%20approved%20by%20FDA.
Ernst, E. “A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews of Homeopathy.” British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Blackwell Science Ltd, Dec. 2002, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1874503/.
“Homeopathic Dilution.” Nelsons, 2022 https://www.nelsons.net/en-us/footer/homeopathic-dilution/.
“Homeopathic Dilutions: Boiron USA.” Boiron USA |, 18 July 2022, https://www.boironusa.com/info/.
“Homeopathy.” NHS Choices, NHS, 7 Apr. 2021, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/homeopathy/.
Oscillococcinum: Homeopathic Medicine for Flu Symptoms, Oscillo, 2022. https://www.oscillo.com/google/?gclid=CjwKCAjw-L-ZBhB4EiwA76YzOeNqxdgDH4rNkvPKOQqUnzD0LXILPFUPGD4TBjjeFp2jqDpmpqladRoC0A0QAvD_BwE.
Loudon, Irvine. “A Brief History of Homeopathy.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, The Royal Society of Medicine, Dec. 2006, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1676328/#:~:text=It%20was%20founded%20by%20Samuel,however%2C%20he%20made%20a%20discovery.
Posadzki, Alotaibi, and Ernst. “Adverse Effects of Homeopathy: A Systematic Review of Published Case Reports and Case Series.” International Journal of Clinical Practice, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2012, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23163497/.
Powell, Mike. “Homeopathy Manufacturer Boiron Sued for Deceiving Consumers with Junk Meds.” Center for Inquiry, Center for Inquiry, 14 Apr. 2022, https://centerforinquiry.org/press_releases/homeopathy-manufacturer-boiron-sued-for-deceiving-consumers-with-junk-meds/.
“Rhus Tox for Joint Pain Relief: Boiron USA.” Boiron USA |, 20 July 2022, https://www.boironusa.com/product/rhus-tox/.
Schwarcz, Joe. “Homeopathy-Delusion through Dilution.” Office for Science and Society, McGill University , 7 June 2017, https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/homeopathy/homeopathy-delusion-through-dilution.