Effects of homeopathic high dilutions on plants: literature review
Marcus Zulian Teixeira; Solange M.T.P.G. Carneiro
Abstract
Background: Among the non-conventional assumptions of homeopathy, the use of
medicines in high dilutions (HD) is a cause for objections and skepticism among the
scientific community, trained within the dose-dependency paradigm of classic
pharmacology. Research aiming at evidencing the effects of homeopathic HD has
resource to several experimental models (in vitro, plants and animals). Aim: To describe
the results of studies with high methodological quality that demonstrated positive
effects of homeopathic HD on plants. Methods: Taking reviews published until 2015 as
reference source, we updated the information through addition of data from recent
studies included in database PubMed. Results: From 167 experimental studies
analyzed, 48 met the minimum criteria of methodological quality, from which 29
detected specific effects of homeopathic high dilutions on plants through comparison
to adequate controls. Conclusions: Despite the substandard methodological quality of
most experiments, studies with systematic use of negative controls and reproducibility
demonstrated significant indisputable effects of homeopathic HD on plants.
Keywords
Homeopathy; High dilutions; Agriculture; Plants; Phytopathological models; Review