Homeopathic medicines are called remedies because they remedy the problem. Homeopathic remedies are made from plant, animal, or mineral substances. Often people mistake herbal tinctures for homeopathic remedies. Remedies may start out as herbal tinctures but must be followed by serial dilutions and succussions to be considered homeopathic remedies.
How are remedies made?
To begin, the substance is dissolved or finely ground into a distilled water/alcohol mixture
The initial dilution is one part substance to 10 parts water/alcohol (1:10 or 1X), or one part substance to 100 parts water/alcohol (1:100 or 1C) or one part substance to 1,000 parts water/alcohol (1:1000 or 1M).
The solution is succussed (pounded against a firm object), then a drop of the solution is diluted again 1:10 or 1:100 or 1:1,000.
The process is repeated as many times as necessary to achieve the desired potency (strength)
If the final product is in a water/alcohol mix, it is then sprayed on pellets of milk sugar, which act as a carrier for the remedy.
Remember!! The medicine is on the OUTSIDE of the sugar pellets, therefore DO NOT touch the pellets. Instead pour the pellets into the cap of the bottle and then transfer directly into your pet’s mouth or dissolve them in water and administer the solution as prescribed.
How are remedies labeled?
Remedies are labeled by the ratio of dilution and the number of times diluted. This labeling distinguishes a homeopathic remedy from an herbal or mineral supplement.
A remedy may be labeled by the X scale if the substance was diluted 1:10, or labeled by the C scale if diluted 1:100, or the M scale if diluted 1:1,000.. Then the number of times it is diluted and succussed is labeled as 12X, 30C, 10M.
The fascinating and scientifically confusing thing about homeopathic remedies is that the more diluted they are the stronger or more potentized they are.
In chemistry, there is a concept of how many molecules of a substance are present in a defined solution. This is called the Avogadro's number ( 6.02214076 × 1023 ). Therefore, in a 12X or 30C potency there cannot be any molecules of the original substance left! That is why homeopathy is considered a process that works through "sub-molecular" or energetic means.
With homeopathic remedies, the higher the dilution, the less "material" in the remedy and the stronger the energy appears to be. Low dilutions (below 12X) may still have some material in them.
Overall we consider lower potencies to work on the physical plane, while higher dilutions work more on the mental and emotional planes, and are often observed to result in deeper and longer lasting effects.
More about homeopathic remedies and how I figure out which remedy is best for your pet in one of my future blogs.