How Homeopathic Medicines Are Made
Homeopathic remedies use very diluted substances used to stimulate and encourage the body's own reserves of recovery. These remedies themselves do not heal, but they help the body heal itself. While homeopathic remedies may look like conventional medicines on the surface, they are prepared differently and may take a little longer to effect change than traditional methods.
The Source
Seventy percent of homeopathic remedies have an herbal origin. The most effective remedies are derived from minerals, but plants and animal sources are also used. Whether these remedies are prepared using healing substances such as flowers, neutral substances such as table salt, or toxic materials such as arsenic, all are safe. Homeopathic medicines are very delicate and there is a very specific way to prepare them. If a plant or a part of plant is going to be used, it is washed before its juice is extracted and added to water.
Regardless of what source is used, no measurable amount remains after dilution. Only the life force that is responsible for the healing properties of the remedy remains.
Using Water and Alcohol
To make a remedy, the pharmacist dissolves a small amount of the original substance in water or alcohol. Although the ratio of substance to water and alcohol varies according to the condition of the substance, 90 percent pure alcohol and 10 percent distilled water is the usual ratio. The solution is left to dissolve for two to four weeks and is vigorously shaken a few times throughout that period. The resulting liquid, known as a mother tincture, is then strained.
In the nineteenth century, lighthouse keepers were hired to tend to some of the homeopathic potencies. The long lonely hours on the job watching over the light and the sea were ideal for performing the rhythmic and repeated motions of shaking and diluting the remedies.
This mother tincture is diluted again and more alcohol and water is added to produce different potencies of the remedy. Between each stage of dilution, the tinctures are shaken. The process is repeated a few more times until the desired dilution is achieved. This is called the potentized solution. It contains the tiniest amount of the original substance. The more the homeopathic remedy is diluted, the more effective it will be.
Shake It Up
The process of forceful vigorous shaking, or succussion, was originally done by hand. Today a machine does the job, but it can still take ten to twelve weeks to prepare a tincture with a high potency (the more diluted a tincture, the higher the potency).
Each succussion should come to a brief stop before continuing again. This allows the liquid to fall in the laboratory test tube via natural inertia. While machines handle this action, they need to be carefully regulated and regularly maintained to guarantee that the succussion is always the same.
Storing
Homeopathic remedies should be carefully stored and handled. If they are not, they lose their potency and are ineffective. The medicines should last indefinitely if you keep them in a cool, dry, and closed drawer or cabinet away from food, strong odors, or electronics.
If your dog has a chronic condition or if you're giving him a homeopathic remedy for the first time, schedule a consultation with your veterinarian or a trained homeopath before administering any medicine. She will evaluate your dog's personality and condition and prescribe the right treatment. Time and experience will teach you when these remedies are okay to use on your own.
Avoid placing them in extreme temperatures or near highly aromatic substances or electromagnetic radiation. Keep remedies out of the refrigerator because food smells can neutralize them. Don't store them near spices or windows either. Computers, televisions, and all other electronics have an energy field that can disrupt the remedy's chemistry.
