Potency in homeopathy
Homeopathic remedies are prepared by diluting and succussing/triturating material doses of a substance.
Whoa, that’s a mouthful! But what does it actually mean?
It means we start with a “mother tincture” - this is when we take the initial substance and place it in a vial of alcohol/water. For those things that are insoluble (e.g. minerals) we simply start with that substance on its own.
Next we begin the dilution and succussion/trituration process. We take 1 drop of the mother tincture and add 99 drops of water. This solution is now succussed or shaken vigorously 10 times. Then we take 1 drop of this solution, add 99 drops of water and shake 10 times. Again, 1 drop from this substance plus 99 drops of water and shake 10 times. At this point we have made a 3C potency. “C” for centesimal, because we had a total of 100 drops in each step.
With insoluble substances we take 1 part of the initial item and add 99 parts of an inert lactose powder. Instead of shaking, we triturate or grind 10 times. And then repeat as above.
We do also have available to us remedies prepared in a decimal potency, marked with an X after the number. These remedies are prepared the same as described above, except they are diluted at a rate of 1:10. This means we take 1 drop of the mother tincture and add 9 drops of water, then shake/succuss 10 times. Tissue/Cell salts are prepared in a decimal potency only, most often a 6X potency.
Most commonly you will see homeopathic remedies in a C potency, although you can also obtain them in decimal potencies.
Generally a 30C potency is a good place to start for acute situations with homeopathic remedies. However, it can be helpful to have a 200C potency on hand for more intense symptoms. In acutes you can even go as high as a 1M (or 1,000C) potency. Remedies in the 200C or 1M potency can be harder to find locally and often need to be purchased from an online homeopathic pharmacy. Click here for a listing of pharmacies around the world. For chronic conditions, potency can vary greatly and depends on the symptoms being experienced and the history of the person.
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