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Dilution and Succussion in Homeopathic Remedy Dose-Response Patterns [NCCAM]

Iris Bell, MD, PhD

The purpose of this project is to develop a quantitative electroencephalographic (qEEG) bioassay for registration of individually active (salient) versus inactive homeopathic remedies or placebo. Convergent basic science evidence suggests that succussion (vigorous shaking) in the preparation of homeopathic remedies from animal, mineral, and plant sources, may persistently modify the physical structure of solvent to generate a unique informational signal, even in ultra-diluted solutions beyond Avogadro’s number. No previous research has directly examined the effects in human populations of a given remedy dilution prepared with different numbers of succussions. Subjects will be N=108 (n=54/remedy) young adult volunteers prescreened for potential remedy salience of either Sulphur or Pulsatilla and tested in a two-phase study (one remedy per phase). The present study fills a major need in homeopathic clinical research to explore and understand remedy-related and remedy-person interactive factors that could contribute to well-known problems in replicability.