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Homeopathic medicines are therapeutically active micro-doses of mineral, botanical, and biological substances. Plant, mineral, and animal substances are the most common sources of homeopathic medicines. These are used to prepare base substances or mother tinctures (M.T. or Ø) by maceration in alcohol. For substances which are insoluble in alcohol, the mother tinctures are prepared by initially compounding the product with lactose. |
The base substances are prepared according to a procedure known as potentization or succession. This process combines progressive dilutions with a solvent of water and alcohol along with rhythmical shaking of the liquid to help release the energy in the substance. Successive dilutions are typically carried out using one of 2 different scales:
Decimal Scale – dilutes the substance to 10 times its original volume each stage and is notated by the letter X
Centesimal Scale – dilutes the substance to 100 times its original volume each stage and is notated by the letter C or K
The X scale dilution is therefore half that of the same value of the C scale, for example, 12X is the same level of dilution as 6C. The table below illustrates the dilution ratios of some of the more common potencies that are used in the Kids Relief products.
| X Scale |
C Scale |
Dilution Ratio |
| 1X |
|
1:10 |
| 2X |
1C |
1:100 |
| 6X |
3C |
1:1 x 10-6 |
| 8X |
4C |
1:1 x 10-8 |
| 10X |
5C |
1:1 x 10-10 |
| 400X |
200C |
1:1 x 10-400 |
To further illustrate the dilution process, here are some examples.
1C = 1 part base substance + 99 parts of solvent
(1/100th dilution of the base substance)
2C = 1 part of 1C potency + 99 parts of solvent
(1/10,000th dilution of the base substance)
1X = 1 part of base substance + 9 parts of solvent
(1/10th dilution of the base substance)
2X = 1 part of 1X potency + 9 parts of solvent
(1/100th dilution of the base substance)
While Hahneman and his successors performed these successions by hand, homeopathic manufacturing today is performed with calibrated instrumentation and machinery utilizing GMP.
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