Detailed knowledge of thousands of substances and how they act on the human body are collected into the reference books – the homeopathic materia medica. This information comes from several sources:

The effects of large doses

Much useful information is obtained by knowing what the effects of toxic substances are on the human body, when taken in large doses. Digitalis (Foxglove), for example, is a toxic plant which can cause a variety of heart conditions. Detailed knowledge of these reactions helps the homeopath to decide when this drug, given in tiny homeopathically prepared doses, will correctly match the symptoms experienced by a patient.

Verification through experience

Many of our most useful remedies have been used by homeopaths for centuries. As this collective experience is built up over time, we develop a clearer and more detailed picture of the sphere of action of each remedy.

Provings

Homeopaths have carried out tests on many substances over the years, which are called provings. This information is then added to the information about the remedies in the materia medica.

How is the remedy then matched to your symptoms?

 

Your homeopath, after talking to you, will look at all your symptoms – physical ones, like pain, general ones such as chilliness, and mental and emotional states, such as grief or fear. Common symptoms, such as pain, are not very useful in finding a remedy, because so many remedies have pain in their symptom picture. The homeopath will therefore need to differentiate your pain carefully – is it dragging or drawing, does it extend somewhere else, how is it making you feel, grumpy or miserable – in order to help narrow down the choice.

The task then is to match this always complex picture to a remedy that has a very similar set of known effects; this is the individualised remedy that will be prescribed for you.