Homeopathy is a medical system whereby an ill person or animal is treated with a remedy that would produce the symptoms of that illness in a healthy person.
The principle under lying homeopathy has almost certainly known for thousands of years, but it was not until the end of the 18th century that Samuel Hahnemann, a German doctor and chemist, started on the course of study and experimentation that led to the development of the modern therapy.
Appalled by the savage medical practices of the day, he formulated a system of healing that was not only extremely safe but scientifically based. His philosophy of disease and its cure through natural processes has changed very little from that day to this.
In 1796 Hahnemann wrote that: Similia similibus curentur, which means “like cures like”, or a substance that causes symptoms in a healthy person will cure similar symptoms in an ill person. He named this system homeopathy from the Greek meaning “similar suffering or disease”.
Hahnemann received a paper attributing the curative affect of cinchona bark (china) on malaria to its astringent and bitter properties. He found this difficult to believe and decided to take some china himself. He found that he suffered the symptoms of malaria, which disappeared in a few hours and did not reappear unless he repeated the dose. He repeated the experiment on healthy friends, carefully noting the drugs effect, and he found that the same thing happened but the variety and strength of symptoms and speed of recovery was different from person to person. Hahnemann felt that he had now proved the action of the drug and called the list of symptoms “the proving”.
Remedy Dilution, Potentisation and the minimum dose In homeopathy the smallest dose is given to stimulate the body’s natural defences. During his early studies, Hahnemann found that people often suffered a severe aggravation initially, when taking a homeopathic remedy. He deduced the dose must be too large and so he devised a method of reducing it by progressive dilution. The more he diluted the remedy the more powerful it became, and so he called the degrees of dilution potencies. This process, developed by Samuel Hahnemann, dilutes out any vestige of harmful elements from the original substance and energizes it through the process of succussion. Succussion of the diluted substance entails banging it vigorously with impact 100 times.
DEFINITION: DILUTION AND SUCCUSSION: the repeated process of adding distilled water and/or special alcohol to a properly prepared substance to dilute, then vigorously shaking by rapping on a firm surface.
This captures and transmits the energy of the original substance into the diluted neutral matter (water and alcohol). Through this process, the energy of the original substance is retained, and each series of dilutions and succussions produces a more powerful and deeper acting medicine which is released as kinetic energy without toxicity.
Because the remedies consist of the tiniest micro-doses, they are completely non-toxic, without side-effects, and are the safest form of medical treatment. Nothing could be safer, more natural or gentle.
Hahnemann considered they act dynamically; that the energy of the remedy stimulated the natural healing energy or the vital force of the body, if it is in a state of disharmony, in order to return to its former healthy state.
Remedies are made from any substance that can be proven to have an effect on humankind. They are derived mostly from plants and minerals but are also taken from the animal kingdom – mostly in the form of secretions, such as snake venom and bee sting.
Remedies should be stored in cool dry conditions, out of direct sunlight and away from strong smells. However I have always kept first aid homeopathic remedies in the glove box of my car, where the temperature can get quite high, and have found they are able to still function well.