I saw a parody of a homeopathic "remedy" package that was shared on facebook by the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. I quickly assumed that it was originally a package of Oscillococcinum and commented, like others, that it was 100% sugar.
When I took a closer look however, I saw that it was actually a package of Sinusalia, which is also produced by Boiron. I then checked whether it actually is just sugar (I like to be thorough) and was surprised to find a picture that says it contains a 3C dilution of Belladonna, Sanguinaria Canadensis and Spigelia Anthelmia (all of which are plants): http://ift.tt/1HCndg9
Boiron's website confirms this dilution: Link
That would mean that there is actually still some of the original substance left in the pills. I reckon there are other homeopathic "remedies" which contain substances in these low dilutions too.
This raises several questions to me (I use belladonna as an example here, but the same questions apply to other substances as well):
1. Does this mean that 1 part in a million (3C) of one tablet is actually from the belladonna plant? It says on their website that it "contains less than 10-8 mg alkaloids per dose" (I assume this refers to the tropane alkaloids, found in belladonna), one dose being two tablets (with a maximum of 6 doses, ie 12 tablets per day).
2. Do they really just put one drop of the diluted substance on a heap of pills and then let it evaporate, like I've heard many times? In that case, could you still actually call this a 3C dilution?
3. Is this even homeopathy? I've heard that dilutions below 12C aren't considered homeopathic by most homeopaths, though some disagree. I guess there is no objective way of telling which version homeopathy is the "real" one.
4. Most importantly: Is this safe? I assume the dose found in one single pill won't be dangerous, but what if someone used it regularly and/or a lot (say, the maximum dose or more) or takes a homeopathic overdose for the 10:23 campaign? Is this a real concern, or is it still too dilute to be dangerous (again, the same question applies to other substances)?
Also, I wonder how well this is regulated. I know that in many countries homeopathic remedies aren't subject to the same rigor of testing as real drugs are. In the USA, the FDA exempts them from "finished product testing for identity and strength". Does that mean that, in the USA, the maximum doses for these remedies aren't determined by the FDA?
When I took a closer look however, I saw that it was actually a package of Sinusalia, which is also produced by Boiron. I then checked whether it actually is just sugar (I like to be thorough) and was surprised to find a picture that says it contains a 3C dilution of Belladonna, Sanguinaria Canadensis and Spigelia Anthelmia (all of which are plants): http://ift.tt/1HCndg9
Boiron's website confirms this dilution: Link
That would mean that there is actually still some of the original substance left in the pills. I reckon there are other homeopathic "remedies" which contain substances in these low dilutions too.
This raises several questions to me (I use belladonna as an example here, but the same questions apply to other substances as well):
1. Does this mean that 1 part in a million (3C) of one tablet is actually from the belladonna plant? It says on their website that it "contains less than 10-8 mg alkaloids per dose" (I assume this refers to the tropane alkaloids, found in belladonna), one dose being two tablets (with a maximum of 6 doses, ie 12 tablets per day).
2. Do they really just put one drop of the diluted substance on a heap of pills and then let it evaporate, like I've heard many times? In that case, could you still actually call this a 3C dilution?
3. Is this even homeopathy? I've heard that dilutions below 12C aren't considered homeopathic by most homeopaths, though some disagree. I guess there is no objective way of telling which version homeopathy is the "real" one.
4. Most importantly: Is this safe? I assume the dose found in one single pill won't be dangerous, but what if someone used it regularly and/or a lot (say, the maximum dose or more) or takes a homeopathic overdose for the 10:23 campaign? Is this a real concern, or is it still too dilute to be dangerous (again, the same question applies to other substances)?
Also, I wonder how well this is regulated. I know that in many countries homeopathic remedies aren't subject to the same rigor of testing as real drugs are. In the USA, the FDA exempts them from "finished product testing for identity and strength". Does that mean that, in the USA, the maximum doses for these remedies aren't determined by the FDA?
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/1MtgBDD
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