How Homeopathic remedies are made - and why they are so safe

Hahnemann first discovered the medicinal properties of many remedies by actually taking the crude substances himself, then observing and recording the symptoms he produced. He was concerned about the possible side effects caused by some of the more toxic substances he was using so started to experiment with diluting them to different scales. 

The problem he faced was that, if he diluted the medicines sufficiently to remove their unwanted effects, they also lost their potential to heal. He then realised that if he subjected each dilution to vigorous shaking it appeared to enhance the substance's curative action whilst at the same time reducing its side effects. He called the vigorous shaking ‘succussion' and the whole process of dilution and succussion he called 'potentisation'. 

Crucially, he also that observed the more he diluted and succussed a remedy the more it released its healing action.

Hahnemann used his extensive knowledge of chemistry to develop a measurement scale for remedies based upon the number of times a substance had been diluted and succussed - which he termed 'potency'. If you go to your local health shop or homeopathic pharmacy and look at some of the remedies they have for sale, they will all have a number on the label, followed by a letter (usually 'C'). The number tells you how many times the substance has been potentised and the letter tells you the ratio of dilutant to substance. The 'C' denotes the 'centesimal' potency which means the ratio is one part substance to ninety nine parts dilutant (one in a hundred). So, for example, a 6C remedy has been potentised six times whereas a 30C will have been potentised thirty times. The other letter, often used, is an 'X', which indicates the 'decimal' potency where the ratio is one part substance to nine parts dilutant (one in ten).

As a result, the procedure involved with making homeopathic remedies is very precise - and potentisation is a central element of that process. This whole process is what makes Homeopathy such a safe medical therapy.

This article was first published by the ARH in the September 2010 issue of 'Homeopathy Healthy Medicine'. 

The ARH regularly publish these newsletters to provide information about homeopathy to the public that is not usually available through our mainstream media. ARH makes them available to everyone as free downloads (go towww.a-r-h.org), and they can be used for information, marketing and publicity purposes.

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