Post Series: Global Traditional Medicine Systems
In order to spread awareness about the rich living herbal traditions from around the world, this post series is intended to introduce some of the characteristics of the herbal or traditional medicine systems to which plants belong.
Homeopathy is an alternative medicine system developed in Germany about 200 years ago, originally by a German physician Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.
It is rooted in the belief that the body has the ability to heal itself, and a fundamental principle of homeopathy, that is “like cures like”.
In other words, it is the belief that something that causes symptoms in the body can cure similar symptoms when given in very tiny amounts by triggering the body’s healing reaction. An example of this is the use of onion (which makes people’s eyes water) diluted extract used for curing allergies.
There is also a principle in Homeopathy of using one remedy at a time which covers all the physical, emotional, and mental symptoms of an illness.
In the making of Homeopathic remedies, there is a theory of potentization, where the starting material goes through a series of successive dilutions, while being forcefully shaken.
Those solutions which are marked with an “X or D” are prepared with either alcohol or distilled water a at a ratio of 1:10. Those solutions market with a “C” on the other hand are prepared at a 1:100 ratio. These solutions may also be diluted again the same number of times, over and over. For example, when a solution is designated with a “3C”, it is diluted on to 1:100 one time, shaken, and then diluted again 1:100, shaken, and then diluted again and shaken a third time.
The extreme dilute nature of some of these solutions can end up in a final dilution which contains few molecules (if any) of the original ingredient.
Some of the common plant-based Homeopathic remedies utilize Arnica, Chamomile, Onions, St. John’s Wort, St. Ignatius Bean (Ignatia), or Aloe, though there are many others.
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