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Homeopathy

Samuel Hahnemann

This page delivers no verdict; it presents claims and evidence with their sources. No theory in science is absolute. Method

For everyone

Homeopathy, systematised by Hahnemann in 1810, rests on the principle "like cures like" and on the idea that substances gain potency by extreme dilution and shaking. It is widely used in many countries. Meta-analyses have reached differing conclusions on whether its effects differ from placebo.

For specialists

A 30C dilution corresponds to a dilution of 10⁶⁰, meaning that, given Avogadro's number (≈6×10²³), not a single molecule of the starting substance is expected to remain. Proponents try to explain this with concepts such as "water memory". Linde et al. (1997) concluded that the effects cannot be attributed entirely to placebo; Shang et al. (2005) reported that when restricted to large, high-quality trials the effects were compatible with placebo; Mathie et al. (2014) reported a small effect for individualised homeopathy while noting the low quality of the evidence.

Claims

Evidence

Supporting

Statistics / meta-analysis

A meta-analysis of 89 placebo-controlled trials concluded that the effects of homeopathy cannot be fully explained by placebo.[2]

Statistics / meta-analysis

A meta-analysis of individualised homeopathy reported a small but significant difference from placebo, with the authors stressing the low quality of evidence.[4]

Challenging

Statistics / meta-analysis

In a comparative analysis of homeopathy and conventional-medicine trials, the effects in large, high-quality homeopathy trials were compatible with placebo.[3]

Statistics / meta-analysis

Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council, reviewing systematic reviews, concluded that there was no reliable evidence of effectiveness for any health condition.[5]

Connections

Parent

Traditional and complementary medicine

Related

The placebo effect

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Sources

  1. BookHahnemann, S. (1810). Organon der rationellen Heilkunde. Arnold, Dresden
  2. ArticleLinde, K. et al. (1997). Are the clinical effects of homoeopathy placebo effects? A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials. The Lancet 350, 834–843DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(97)02293-9archive
  3. ArticleShang, A. et al. (2005). Are the clinical effects of homoeopathy placebo effects? Comparative study of placebo-controlled trials of homoeopathy and allopathy. The Lancet 366, 726–732DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67177-2archive
  4. ArticleMathie, R. T. et al. (2014). Randomised placebo-controlled trials of individualised homeopathic treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic Reviews 3, 142DOI 10.1186/2046-4053-3-142archive
  5. ReportNational Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) (2015). NHMRC Information Paper — Evidence on the effectiveness of homeopathy for treating health conditions. NHMRC, Canberra

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Cite this page

APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Homeopathy. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/homeopati/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_homeopati,
  title        = {Homeopathy},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/homeopati/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 27, 2026 · Page history

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