Basis of Homeopathy - Potentisation

Potentisation

After selecting the homoeopathic medicine by the process of comparison of the drug picture with the patients disease picture, the medicine is administered in 'POTENTISED' form. This brings us to the question of what potentisation is. Potentisation is the process of minimising, rather negating the toxic effects of the crude drug substance and increasing its dynamic, curative property. This is done by two methods called 'Succussion' and 'Trituration'.

In Succussion those drugs that are soluble in Alcohol or Water are serially diluted with the media either alcohol or water and every dilution is followed by vigorous shaking which allows uniform mixing of drug substance in alcohol or water.

In Trituration those drugs that are not soluble in liquid media are thoroughly grounded with lactose (Sugar of milk) in a serial order.

The succussions and triturations are done mainly on two scales of potencies 'Decimal scale' and 'Centesimal scale'. In decimal scale the dilutions and triturations are prepared in the proportion of one part of the medicine to nine parts of the media (The media with which the potentisation is done like Alcohol, Water, Lactose are called as vehicles). Here the presence of the original drug substance will be 1 in 10. The decimal scale is denoted by the letters 'X' or D. Hence 1X or ID means the given medicine contains 1 part of the original drug substance and 9 parts of the vehicle. 2X or 2D means 1/100 times diluted, 3X or 3D means 1/1000 times diluted, 6X or 6D means 1/106 times diluted, 12X or 12D means 1/1012 times diluted.

In centesimal scale the drugs are diluted in the proportion of 1 in 100. That is 1 part of the drug is diluted in 99 parts of the vehicle. The centesimal potency is denoted by the letter 'C'. Hence 1C means the given medicine contains 1 part of the original drug substance and 99 parts of the vehicle. 2C means 1/10000 times diluted 6C means 1/1012 times diluted 200C means 1/10400 times diluted. (In practice for centesimal scale the letter 'C' is dropped; hence 200C is written simply as 200).

Now, we have been able to go further into dilution with the 50 millicimal potency or LM potency, which takes a substance diluted upto 1 / 106 into further dilutions in the denominations of 50,000.