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Homeopathy

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Updated - January 28, 2026

Homeopathy is based on the assumption of Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843, German physician and pharmacist) that a disease should be fought with the pathogen that causes it.
He justified this in 1790 with a self-experiment that he carried out on himself after translating a medical text and experimenting with cinchona bark. After taking cinchona bark, he developed malaria-like symptoms. From this he derived the simile principle „Similia similibus curentur“, namely to heal like with like.

Hahnemann developed the concept of PotentiationRepeated dilution and shaking („shaking“) should increase the healing power of substances.

In 1810 he published his main work „Organon of the healing arts„, which formed the theoretical basis of homeopathy:

  • The principle of similarity (similia similibus curentur)
  • Potentiation as a reinforcement method
  • The doctrine of the „life force“ and „dynamic diseases“
  • The miasma theory (chronic diseases can be traced back to invisible underlying diseases)

In his six-volume work „Pure pharmacology“ (1811-1821) Hahnemann describes the results of his „tests on the healthy“, self-experiments, experiments on family members and students with various substances.

history

Samuel Christian Friedrich Hahnemann was born in Meissen on April 10, 1755, the son of a porcelain painter. The family lived in modest circumstances, but the talented young Samuel gained access to higher education through the encouragement of his teachers. He studied medicine in Leipzig, Vienna and Erlangen, where he obtained his doctorate in 1779.

Hahnemann as a doctor

Hahnemann's life was characterized by constant financial difficulties and professional insecurity. He had eleven children with his first wife Johanna Henriette Küchler. He moved several times, more than twenty times, in search of income and recognition, although occasionally to escape the authorities, who were after him for repeated violations of the pharmacist's monopoly.

His medical practice did not bring in enough to feed his family. The medicine of the time, consisting of bloodletting, weakened the patients more than it helped them, mercury preparations poisoned them, and laxatives and emetics further tormented the already sick.

Finally, around 1790, Hahnemann gave up his practice completely for a time and looked for another more bearable activity.

Hahnemann as a medical translator

Thanks to his extremely versatile language skills - he was fluent in Greek, Latin, English, French, Italian, Arabic and Hebrew - he tried to support his family by translating medical and scientific texts.

In addition to the pleasant effect of the, albeit moderate, but steady income from this activity, he benefited from the findings from the scientific literature and thus remained well informed about ongoing developments.

Hahnemann's cinchona bark self-experiment

When Hahnemann was working on the translation of William Cullen's „Materia Medica“, he was taken aback by the description of cinchona bark (Chinchona) for the treatment of malaria. He was not convinced by Cullen's explanation that the bark helped against malaria due to its stomach-strengthening properties. He therefore started a self-experiment and repeatedly took cinchona bark. He developed symptoms such as fever, chills and weakness, which he described as similar to malaria.

From this he deduced that if a substance causes certain symptoms in a healthy person, it must also be able to cure this disease. This is how his simile principle came about.

What Hahnemann did not know was later revealed by modern analyses: he probably suffered from an intolerance to cinchona bark.

Hahnemann's dilution principle

Hahnemann initially experimented with undiluted substances. However, he discovered that remedies such as arsenic, belladonna or mercury were extremely toxic in normal doses.

This made it necessary to dilute the substances appropriately in order to prevent cases of poisoning.

As the substances were becoming increasingly unaffordable at the time and in view of his chronic financial suffering, he argued that dilution did not weaken the healing power of the substances, but rather strengthened it. Even if this contradicted every known scientific finding. The end justified the means: he was able to generate much more income with less effort. Water, alcohol and sugar were negligible cost factors.

Hahnemann's principle of potentiation

According to tradition, Hahnemann noticed that his diluted remedies, which he used to transport in his carriage over the bumpy roads, seemed to have a stronger effect than those that were only stored quietly.

The concept of „succussion“ was born. Since then, it was stipulated that the respective dilution had to be shaken vigorously in order to release the „spirit-like medicinal power“.

Also with the German Heilpraktiker Union (DHU), the dilutions are still shaken in the required manner today (according to a telephone inquiry).

Hahnemann's high potencies

True to the insight that shaking increases the potency of the preparations, he developed ever higher dilutions over the course of his life. While he initially worked with low potencies (D3-D6), he later experimented with C30, C200 and even C1000 (M potencies).

The buttercup in the story: Amedeo Avogadro (1776 - 1856, Italian chemist and physicist) formulated Avogadro's law, the Avogadro constant, in 1811. It indicates how many atoms of an element or molecules of a chemical compound are contained in one mole.
Accordingly, from a dilution of around D23 or C12, statistically not a single molecule of the original substance is contained in the dilution.

Modern homeopaths often use C30 or higher, i.e. preparations that are proven to consist only of the solvent.

The homeopathic market today

The global market for homeopathic preparations is estimated at around 5-10 billion euros per year. In Germany, homeopathic remedies generate annual sales of around 600 million euros.

The production costs for highly potentized preparations are minimal, as outlined above, plus the packaging. Nevertheless, the sales prices are often around 5-20 euros per packaging unit. The profit margins are among the highest in the pharmaceutical industry.

The crux of homeopathy

It contradicts fundamental scientific principles:

1. the principle of similarity: There is no biological or physical mechanism that would explain why a substance that causes certain symptoms should also cure them.

2. potentiation: The assertion that dilution increases the effect contradicts the dose-response relationship of pharmacology.

3. the water memory: The hypothesis that water can store information about dissolved substances is not physically tenable. Hydrogen bonds between water molecules only exist for picoseconds.

Side effects

Highly diluted homeopathic preparations are considered to be largely free of side effects, as they do not contain any pharmacologically effective quantities of substances, unless the patient suffers from lactose intolerance (allergic reaction).

Indirect risks

  • Delay in effective treatment: For serious illnesses, the exclusive use of homeopathy can be dangerous
  • Low potency preparationsThese can theoretically be harmful in the case of toxic starting materials (e.g. mercury, arsenic)
  • Impurities: Production impurities were found in some cases
  • Discontinuation of necessary medication: Patients sometimes stop taking vital medication on the advice of homeopaths.

Direct risks

  • Low potencies (D1-D6): These may still contain relevant quantities of toxic starting materials (arsenic, mercury, belladonna).
  • Quality problems: In some cases, production impurities or mix-ups were found that led to poisoning.
  • Allergic reactions: On carrier substances (lactose) or herbal ingredients.

Sources

Scientific studies and reviews

Individual studies - examples

  • Childhood diarrhea (2006): A randomized study in Nicaragua found no difference between homeopathy and placebo.
    Jacobs J, et al. „Homeopathy for childhood diarrhea: combined results and metaanalysis from three randomized, controlled clinical trials.“ Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 2003;22(3):229-234. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12634583/
  • Hay fever (2000): A large British study showed no significant benefit of homeopathic treatment.
    Taylor MA, et al. „Randomized controlled trial of homoeopathy versus placebo in perennial allergic rhinitis with overview of four trial series.“ BMJ, 2000;321(7259):471-476. https://www.bmj.com/content/321/7259/471
  • ADHD (2005): A Swiss study found no difference to placebo.
    Frei H, et al. „Homeopathic treatment of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled crossover trial.“ European Journal of Pediatrics, 2005;164(12):758-767. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16049714/
  • Sore muscles (2017): Arnica preparations showed no superiority over placebo.
    Pumpa KL, et al. „The effects of topical Arnica on performance, pain and muscle damage after intense eccentric exercise.“ European Journal of Sport Science, 2014;14(3):294-300. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23679483/

Documented cases of damage

Death due to omitted treatment

  • Australia 2009: A nine-month-old girl died of malnutrition after her parents used only homeopathic remedies for eczema instead of medical treatment on the advice of a homeopath. (source)
  • Canada 2013: A five-year-old boy died of a streptococcal infection after his parents had only treated him homeopathically. (source)
  • Italy 2017: A seven-year-old child died of otitis media after the homeopathic doctor advised against antibiotics. (source)
  • Germany: Several cases of death in cancer patients who were treated exclusively with homeopathy. (source)

Wrong malaria prophylaxis

Some homeopaths offer homeopathic malaria prophylaxis, which has been proven not to protect. Travelers who rely on them are putting their lives at risk.

Loss events and risk analyses

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