Potentization

Homeopathy recognizes that all disease begins at the dynamic or energetic level of the vital self. That which is occurring at the level of our organs or cells is not the cause of disease: it is the result, the perceivable aftermath, of a disturbance in the energetic field. First we exist at the level of energy (essence or spirit) and that energetic level is primary, formative and causative. That primary essence gives rise to and penetrates the mental level, the emotional level and finally the most “gross” physical level. There is a great quote that sort of illustrates this. There are different versions of this quote but it essentially says: “Be mindful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be mindful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be mindful of your actions for your actions become your character”. I like this quote because it demonstrates how the material is the result of what is happening first at the non-material level. The gross is the result of the subtle, not vice versa.

With this great insight, Hahnemann sought to develop a method for preparing and administering medicine that could be applied at the causative, energetic level. The unique and brilliant method of preparing homeopathic medicines is called potentization. Potentization is a systematic and scientific process of successively diluting and succussing a substance. potentization acts to remove the presence of the actual physical substance while retaining the dynamic, energetic vibration of that substance.

When you look at the label of a homeopathic remedy, the level of potency is indicated by a number and letter. Some common potencies that you might see in a health food store would be 12 X, 30 C or 200 C. This gets a little technical but I will briefly explain the process of potentizing a substance. To prepare a homeopathic remedy, the raw material (plant, mineral or other substance) will be triturated with a mortar and pestal. To make the X potency, one drop of mother tincture is added to a vial with 9 drops of water. The vial is succussed 100 times. Succussion involves a process of shaking and pounding. For example, Hahnemann would succuss the vial by holding it in his hand and pounding a leather bound book. One drop is then taken from this vial and placed in another vial with 9 drops of liquid and again it is succussed 100 times. To prepare a 12 X potency, the process of dilution and succussion is performed 12 times. To prepare a remedy at the C potency, instead of adding 9 drops of water to one drop of mother tincture, the process involves adding 99 drops of water to one drop of mother tincture. A 30 C potency is prepared by repeating the process 30 times. To prepare a remedy at the 1 M potency, the process is repeated 1000 times.

Once a remedy is prepared to the 12 C potency, there is virtually no material substance remaining. However, what is retained is the energetic vibration of the substance and this is what has the capacity to bring healing at the energetic level of vital force. One of the most common criticisms of homeopathy is that it can’t possibly work because there is no actual substance present. However, exciting cutting edge research is now showing that water actually retains properties it has been exposed to even after ultradilutions. You can learn more about this research on the website of the National Center for Homeopathy.

The beauty of the system of potentization is that homeopaths can very carefully select the exact level of potency needed to bring about healing. Selecting the correct potency (whether 12 X, 30 C, 200 C, 1 M, 10 M or higher) is an art that comes with experience. This is done with greatest respect for the law of MINIMUM DOSE.