Information transfer from an ultra high dilution through glass walls - A study on wheat seedlings, with regard to storage safety of homeopathic remedies.
Reich C, Lothaller H, Endler PC.
Abstract
Objective: To investigate whether information transfer between homeopathic
potencies is possible through glass walls during storage or transport handling.
Introduction: Previous studies using zoological (Endler et al. 1995, 1998; Hermann
2005) as well as botanical (Pongratz et al. 1998) bio-assays have examined
interactions between ultra high dilutions, sealed in glass vials, and organisms. The
possibility of information transfer from a potency through glass walls may also be
interesting with regard to storage insensitivity of homeopathic remedies.
Methodology: We compared the effects of potentized gibberellic acid (GA3; a plant
growth hormone) and potentized solvent on wheat seedlings. In previous
experiments (Bauhofer et al. 2007, Pfleger et al. 2010, Endler et al. 2010) potentized
gibberellic acid had shown an inhibiting effect on winter wheat growth when
experiments were performed in autumn season. In order to avoid molecular effects
we chose to exceed Avogadro’s limit by potentizing GA3 (as well as the
solvent water for control) up to 30x (i.e. 10e-30). For the growth experiment wheat
seedlings were germinated in three groups using (a) GA3 30x (“G30x”), (b) water
30x (“W30x”), and (c) water 30x that had been submitted to an additional process of
gently being banged against G30x-bottles (“W/G30x”). Stalk lengths were measured
after 7 days according to a standardized protocol. Differences in stalk length of
germinated seeldings were calculated with ANOVA.
Results: G30x-plants (57.38 ± 13.13 mm) as well as W/G30x-plants (58.60 ± 13.43
mm) showed less stalk growth than control plants (W30x; 61.97 ± 11.90 mm).
Significant differences were found between G30x-plants and W30x-plants
as well as between W/G30x plants and W30x plants, (p < 0.01) but not between
G30x-plants and W/G30x-plants (p> 0.05).
Conclusions: The findings of this pilot study suggest that banging glass bottles of
liquid homeopathic remedies together can lead to information transfer, and that
relevant precautions may be desirable during transport and storage. Further studies
are needed to substantiate our laboratory results on aqueous potencies and to
determine whether these may also be relevant for alcoholic homeopathic dilutions or
globuli.