Abstract
Background
Whilst several physico-chemical projects across the world are engaged in research
work to understand the fundamental nature of homeopathic potencies, there is often
a lack of awareness amongst the scientific community regarding the practice of homeopathy.
In particular, information from the manufacture, storage and administering of remedies
is not generally integrated into research frameworks, leading to hypotheses about
homeopathy that can be questioned or dismissed because they do not fit with known
facts about homeopathic practice.
Methods
Observations from the practice of homeopathy have been amalgamated here with results
from various fundamental research studies, together with the writings of Samuel Hahnemann
where these focus on the manufacture and administering of homeopathic medicines. By
following this approach, it is shown that several restrictions are automatically placed
on what hypotheses are possible regarding the physico-chemical nature of homeopathic
potencies, while at the same time providing pointers as to what potencies might be.
Results
The above approach leads to several basic questions regarding the nature of homeopathic
potencies. These questions include whether potencies are some form of exotic matter,
whether they are gasiform in nature, whether they self-replicate, and whether they
have some form of structure, in particular whether that structure might be fractal.
Conclusions
Our approach allows for several possible explanations for the modus operandi of homeopathy to be dismissed, and in so doing narrows down what hypotheses can be
put forward. Whilst it is still premature to offer testable hypotheses as to how homeopathy
works, we are considerably closer to identifying the fundamental nature of homeopathic
potencies than we were.
Keywords potencies - matter - gasiform - structure - fractals
