[Omeo33] Art 1072 - Homeopathy, 2009, 98 (4), 228-243

[Gino Santini]

Use of homeopathic preparations in experimental studies with healthy  
plants
Vera Majewsky, Sebastian Arlt, Devika Shah, Claudia Scherr, Tim Jäger,  
Lucietta Betti, Grazia Trebbi, Leoni Bonamin, Peter Klocke and Stephan  
Baumgartner

Background
The last comprehensive review of experimental research on effects of  
homeopathic treatments on plants was published in 1984, and lacked  
formal predefined criteria to assess study quality. Since then several  
new studies with more advanced methods have been published.

Objectives
To compile a review of the literature on basic research in homeopathy  
with healthy plants with particular reference to studies investigating  
specific effects of homeopathic remedies.

Methods
The literature search included English, French, German, Italian,  
Portuguese and Spanish publications from 1920 to April 2009, using  
predefined selection criteria. We included experiments with healthy  
whole plants, seeds, plant parts and cells. The outcomes had to be  
measured by established procedures and statistically evaluated. We  
developed a Manuscript Information Score (MIS) and included only  
publications which provided enough information for proper  
interpretation (MIS ≥ 5). A formalised Study Methods Evaluation  
Procedure (SMEP) was used to evaluate these studies, and the subgroup  
of studies with adequate controls to identify specific effects.

Results
A total of 86 studies in 79 publications was identified, 43 studies  
included statistics, 29 had MIS ≥ 5, and 15 studies investigated the  
specificity of homeopathic preparations. Specific effects of decimal,  
centesimal and fifty millesimal potencies were found including  
dilution levels far beyond the Avogadro number. In consecutive series  
of potencies only some of the tested potencies showed effects. There  
were many individual studies with diverse methods and very few  
reproduction trials.

Conclusions
Healthy plant models seem an useful approach to investigate basic  
research questions about the specificity of homeopathic preparations.  
More investigations with more advanced methods are recommended,  
especially in the sectors of potentisation techniques, effective  
potency levels and conditions for reproducibility. Systematic negative  
control experiments should become a routine procedure to control the  
stability of the experimental systems.

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