| Abstrakt: |
Background: Homeopathy is a therapeutic method discovered by Samuel Hahnemann, MD, in 1790. Homeopathy often makes use of medicines prepared at such high dilutions that the physical existence of even a single molecule of the source substance is said to be theoretically impossible. Nevertheless, these drug products appear to have biological effects. Therefore, we sought to examine the potential physical properties of a common homeopathic medicine, Lycopodium clavatum. Methods: Selected dilution factors (potencies) of Lycopodium clavatum were studied with the help of Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) for the identification of particles and their elementary composition. Results: Nanoparticles were detected in all potencies tested. Carbon and oxygen were the two elements present in all sample particles. Conclusion: The present study confirms the presence of nanoparticles in multiple potencies of the common homeopathic medicine Lycopodium clavatum. This data adds to the body of evidence concerning the presence of source material in high potency homeopathic medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
