Homeopathic medicine has a long history of safety – in fact, it has been used worldwide continuously with great results for more than 200 years!
Homeopathic medicine is based on the ingredient(s) and the potency, and requires a very specific and labor-intensive manufacturing process.
Ingredients:
The ingredients used in homeopathic medicine1 are listed in the HPUS (Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, recognized by the FDA). The FDA considers homeopathy a registered drug product, not a vitamin supplement – yet it’s a drug product with no known negative side effects.
For example, Calendula officinalis (marigold) is one of the approximately 1,400 plant ingredients listed in the HPUS. The homeopathic medicine process begins with an ingredient such as that, made into an alcohol tincture (which extracts all the active properties from the plant).
Once it’s made into a tincture, it’s ready for the next step in homeopathic medicine: potentization.
Potencies:
The HPUS determines the lowest potencies permitted for each homeopathic substance.
Potencies are commonly listed as X, C, or LM, based on Roman numerals (“X” means 10, “C” means 100, and “LM” means 50,000).
Homeopathic potencies are determined by the HPUS ingredients undergoing a specific process of serial dilution and succussion (which is vigorous shaking). This time-tested process makes the ingredients both safe and reliable in treating common ailments and symptoms.
Potentization process:
To make a homeopathic medicine from Calendula, our company would mix one part of Calendula tincture with nine parts of water and then vigorously shake it a number of times (from 10 to 100 or more, depending on the medicine). One part of that solution is called a 1X potency of Calendula (one part of tincture to nine parts of liquid, or 1:10).
One part of the 1:10 solution is then placed into a new container, and nine more parts of water are added. It is succussed (vigorously shaken) again, and one part of that solution is called a 2X potency (2:10). And so it goes to however many potencies, 10X, 30X and so on.
Higher potencies:
Manufacturing a “C” potency begins with one part of the tincture to 99 parts of water, which is then succussed for the first potency, 1C. Then we use one part of that plus 99 more parts of water (plus succussion) to reach 2C. And so on to the higher potencies.
The higher the potencies, logic would tell us the lower the concentration of original molecules from the beginning substance, and the weaker the medicine. True in one way, but not all ways.
It’s true that the original substance becomes more diluted with each step toward higher potencies, which makes the medicine nontoxic (no known negative side effects). However, it does not become less effective.
Interestingly enough, different potencies work at different levels of the body.
The lower potencies (1X, for example) work more on the superficial (surface) layers of the body, such as bruises or bug bites.
Mid-range potencies (30X) work on the body’s inner regions.
The highest potencies (LM) work deeply and gently on balancing the mind and emotions, which influence our health to a large extent. For example, stress takes a health toll at many levels: sleep, mood, digestion, muscle tension, hormonal levels and more.
Homeopathic medicine is smart medicine from the past (with its long record of efficacy and safety) to help us with all of our modern ailments – and with no known negative side effects, and no medical contraindications.
Dr. King’s contemporary homeopathic medicine is innovative, because nearly all of his formulas have multiple potencies, including the 1LM (1:50,000), to correct health imbalances deeply and gently on all levels: mental, emotional, and physical.
1 In the United States, homeopathic medicine is overseen by the Food and Drug Administration, with regular inspections and audits. Rest assured our company has been manufacturing high quality, natural homeopathic medicines in Asheville, N.C., since 1989.
2 Our company specializes in manufacturing homeopathic medicine in a pure water base. Some companies use alcohol in their dilution and potentization process.