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New research detects the presence of homeopathic potencies

Nov 05, 2015

An experimental protocol for investigating the nature of homeopathic medicines has been able to detect the presence of homeopathic potencies, demonstrating physico-chemical difference between homeopathic preparations and water.

Sensitive ionic (solvatochromic) dyes, which have  the ability to change colour due to a change in solvent polarity, were used as molecular probes of diluted and succussed solutions (homeopathic potencies). Electronic spectroscopy was able to follow changes in the absorbance of this class of dyes in the presence of homeopathic potencies. Homeopathic potencies produced consistent and reproducible changes in the spectra of the dyes, suggesting that potencies influence the supramolecular chemistry of solvatochromic dyes.

This investigation was one of the first projects funded by Homeopathy Research Institute and was carried out at the Cherwell Innovation Centre outside Oxford. The newly published article, ‘Solvatochromic dyes detect the presence of homeopathic potencies,’ explains the methodology of the investigation and discusses the implications of the results for the understanding of the nature of homeopathic medicines and their mode of action, as well as future directions for research in this area.