Homoeopathica November 2000

Recently four Italian scientists did experiments investigating the effects of six different decimal (x) scale potencies of Arsenicum album on sprouting grains of wheat. In some of the trials the seeds had been given a bath in a solution containing material doses of arsenic, enough to stress the seeds but not kill them. The highlight of these trials is the discovery that Arsenicum album 45x “had a highly significant stimulating effect, both with non-stressed and stressed seeds.”

On the other hand 35x “always shows significant inhibiting effect with non-stressed seeds (it was not tested for stressed seeds).”

In other words some potencies boosted germination and growth and some harmed the wheat’s development.

The experiments are presented in a paper published in the British Homœopathic Journal, February 2000. (M. Brizzi, D. Nani, M. Peruzzi and L. Betti, Statistical analysis of the effect of high dilutions of arsenic in a large dataset from a wheat germination model).

This recalls a similar, but easier to understand, report of experiments to show the effects of potentised substances on the growth of wheat published in the Transactions of the International Homœopathic Medical Congress held in India 1977.

Dr A.C. Dutt sprouted wheat in water with potencies of several different remedies.

Dutt wrote: Different glass pots of uniform size and shape were taken. To each pot a measured quantity of distilled water was poured. Subsequently, globular or drop doses of different medicines in different potencies were added and stirred well. To these, a definite number of wheat seeds, obtained from the same stock and more or less uniform size were soaked for fixed hours. The excess water was then decanted out and the seeds were allowed to germinate. After germination the seeds were picked up at random and three replications in water culture were made.

It is known that the germination stage is particularly sensitive and susceptible to adverse environmental conditions. It is also known that diseases of plants are influenced not only by the mere existence of a parasite but also the environmental factors like light, temperature, water, etc, and genetic factors. It has been observed that at too high temperatures diseases like leaf-scorch, heat-canker, etc, may arise and also that weakly-growing plant is more susceptible to parasitic attack than a strongly growing one. Therefore necessary control measures were adopted. The atmospheric temperature during the experiment was about 27degreesF.

From the very beginning the plants were kept under close observation. Any abnormal change in the shoot, root and leaf structure or colour was recorded. The fourth day after germination most of the plants, particularly those in higher dilutions, started showing definite symptoms of disease or toxicity. By the tenth day the symptoms were almost fully developed. The changes in the leaf structure and colour, etc, are reported in Tables 1, 2 and 3.

On critical examination of the results (Table 1) it was observed that the toxicity symptoms produced by different essential elements on plants in homœopathic dilution were very much similar to their deficiency symptoms. The plants were also found to be more severely affected with higher homœopathic dilutions than with lower.

Although rigorous replications are necessary for definite and detailed conclusion, it was found that the toxicity symptoms produced by the same elements in different chemical forms were somewhat different. Toxicity symptoms were also observed with some drug substances of organic origin (Table 2).

It was further observed that in spite of some toxicity symptoms the non-essential elements like sodium, and also poisonous elements like arsenic and selenium, in high homœopathic dilutions have remarkable growth stimulation effects. (Table 3).

Dutt’s experiments are very interesting, even a little scary. If it is accepted that lead, say, in potency causes the elimination of lead from an animal poisoned with lead (and there is quite a lot of evidence that this is so) then can homœopaths be absolutely sure that there are no potencies, or dosage regimes, of calcium phosphate (Calc phos) that will hinder the mending of a fracture by expelling calcium and phosphorus from the body? Are those people who take X-ray 200c after a dental x-ray doing themselves good or harm?

[Note in the tables how Mag phos 200c stunted the wheat and Ars alb 200c acted like fertilizer; and Mag sulph 6c acted like fertilizer while Mag sulph 1M made the plants look sickly and stunted.]

TABLE 1
Effects of potentised essential elements

TABLE 2
Effects of some potentised inorganic and organic substances

TABLE 3
Effects of potentised poisonous and non-essential elements