Plant Studies

Claims are regularly made in the media and by various “authorities” that there’s no evidence for homeopathy. Whether this declaration is made through simple ignorance, stupidity or with the deliberate intent to deceive, would make an excellent topic for investigation. Either way, the assertion that there’s no evidence for homeopathy is plainly and clearly wrong. On our research pages you will find abstracts from over 200 human, animal, plant and in-vitro scientific studies that attest the reality that there is indeed evidence for homeopathy, and lots of it. This is by no means an exhaustive list but a selection of the available research.

On the Research Evidence Base List contains over 5,000 homeopathy research evidence base references with links to each.

We would like to thank Robert Medhurst, Iris Bell M.D., Ph.D., and Peter Gold for their exceptional work is assembling this knowledge base.

Plant studies

1. Baumgartner S., Thurneysen A., Heusser P. Growth stimulation of dwarf peas (Pisum sativum L.) through homeopathic potencies of plant growth substances. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2004, Oct,11, 5,:281-92. In an effort to determine the effects of homeopathically potentised plant growth substances on the shoot growth characteristics of dwarf peas, plant cultures were immersed for 24 hours in solutions containing 4 different plant growth substances in 12X to 30X potencies. These were compared to cultures grown in a control substance. At shoot length measurement after a 14 day growth period, the cultures grown in the potentised growth substances showed a measurable effect on the seed growth characteristics when compared to the control substance, the most notable of these, gibberellin 17X, producing the largest growth stimulation.

 

2. Baumgartner S, Shah D, Schaller J, Kämpfer U, Thurneysen A, Heusser P. Reproducibility of dwarf pea shoot growth stimulation by homeopathic potencies of gibberellic acid. Complement Ther Med. 2008 Aug;16(4):183-91. In this Swiss study, which was slight variation of previous work done in this area by Hamman and others, dwarf pea seedlings in 4 batches containing seeds taken from adult plants in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000, were exposed to 17X and 18X potencies of Gibberellic acid (GA) and cultivated under controlled conditions, alongside dwarf pea seedlings that had received the same level of exposure to 2 negative control substances. GA in material doses is often used commercially to break periods of dormancy in seeds and has the capacity to stimulate the growth of seedlings and it’s an endogenous component of some seeds and is involved in the growth of seeds and alpha amylase activity within the plant.. After 14 days all of these seedlings had their lengths measured and at this point it was found that the controls had performed as predicted, the 1997 seedling batch previously exposed to GA 17X and GA 18X had exceeded the growth rate of the controls by an average of 11.2% and the 1998 batch responded with a mixture of either stimulation or suppression of growth. Batches from 1999 and 2000 failed to respond to either potency of GA.

 

3. Binder M, Baumgartner S, Thurneysen A. The effects of a 45x potency of arsenicum album on wheat seedling growth — a reproduction trial. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2005 Oct, 12, 5, 284-91. In a repeat performance of the previous trial, wheat seedlings previously exposed to sub-lethal doses arsenic were cultivated in either Arsenicum album 45X, water 45X or un-potentised water, and the seedling height measured at 7 days. The experiment was independently reproduced 8 times and after the results were collated the wheat seedlings cultivated in Arsenicum 45X showed a significant reduction in height when compared to the 2 controls.

 

4. Bornoroni C. Synergism of Action between Indolacetic Acid and Highly Diluted Solutions of Calc carb on the Growth of Oat Celeoptiles. Berlin J on Res in Hom, 1, 4/5, December 1991, 275-278. This study demonstrated that Calc carb 5X significantly increased the growth stimulating effects of the plant growth stimulant, indole acetic acid.

 

5. Brizzi M, Lazzarato L, Nani D, Borghini F, Peruzzi M, Betti L. A biostatistical insight into the As(2)O(3) high dilution effects on the rate and variability of wheat seedling growth. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2005 Oct, 12, 5, 277-83. Wheat seedlings previously stressed with sub-lethal doses of arsenic, a substance known to be lethal to this plant, were treated with various potencies of Arsenicum album (5X, 15X, 25X, 35X and 45X), equivalent potencies of water and equivalent un-succussed dilutions of arsenic trioxide. The stem lengths of the seedlings was assessed at day 7 and it was found that the 45X potencies of Arsenicum and the water but not the diluted arsenic trioxide induced an increase in seedling height.

 

6. Endler PC, Pongratz W. Homoeopathic Effect of a Plant Hormone? Berlin J on Res in Hom, 1, 3, June, 1991, 148-150. This study showed that Indole Butyric Acid, known at material levels to enhance the growth of new roots and leaves from plant slips, at a 33X potency, continued to provide an enhancement of growth

 

7. Jones RL, Jenkins MD. Plant Responses to Homoeopathic Medicines. British Homeopathic Journal, 70, 3, July 1981, 120-146. The authors of this work set out to study the effects of various homeopathic potencies of Silver nitrate on the growth characteristics of the leaf sheaths of wheat. On analysis of the results they found that potencies of silver nitrate were in fact able to either inhibit or stimulate growth, depending upon the potency applied.

 

8. Scherr C, Simon M, Spranger J, Baumgartner S. Effects of Potentised Substances on Growth Rate of the water plant Lemna gibba. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2009 Apr;17(2):63-70. Claudia Scherr and colleagues at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in Frick, Switzerland, conducted this randomised, controlled and blinded study to determine the extent to which various homeopathically potentised substances could influence the growth of Duckweed (Lemna gibba) when compared to controls. To do this, Duckweed was grown in 14X to 30X homeopathic potencies of Argentum nitricum, Lemna minor and Gibberelic acid (a known plant growth regulator), over a period of 7 days. Measurements were taken over 0-3 days, 3-7 days and 0-7 days. Succussed and un-succussed water controls were used. Neither controls produced any statistically significant effect and the potencies that caused the most pronounced reduction in growth when compared to controls were those of Gibberelic acid, particularly the 15X, 17X, 23X and 24X potencies.

 

9. Bonfim FPG, das Dores RGR, Martins ER, Casali VWD. Germination and vigor of lettuce seeds (Lactuca sativa L.) pelleted with homeopathic preparations Alumina and Calcarea carbonica subjected to toxic levels of aluminium. Int J High Dilution Res 2010; 9(33): 138-146. Researchers from three different universities in Brazil were involved in this study that adds to previous work looking at the effects of homeopathically prepared materials on plants. Lettuce seedlings intoxicated with aluminium were exposed to homeopathically prepared Alumina 6C, Alumina 12C, Calc carb 6C, Carb 12C, or two controls. Outcomes were assessed using germination percentage, germination speed index and radicle length. On analysis and when compared to controls a statistically significant association was found between all of the homeopathically prepared substances and germination speed index, radicle length and germination index.

 

10. Marques RM, Marques-Silva GG, Bonato CM. Effects of high dilutions of Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt (citronella) on the germination and growth of seedlings of Sida rhombifolia. Int J High Dilution Research, 7, 22, 31-35, (2008). This research comes from the State University of Maringa, in Parana, Brazil and was performed to ascertain the effects of various homeopathically prepared potencies of citronella against Sida rhombifolia, an invasive weed endemic in Southern Brazil and many other parts of the world, including Northern Australia. Sida seedlings were exposed to 3C, 6C, 12C, 24C and 30C homeopathic potencies of citronella and a control substance, These plants were then monitored for root system growth, shoot length, total fresh mass, germination percentage and germination speed. This process was carried out 5 times and on analysis of the measurements it was found that all of the citronella potencies increased all parameters measured. Specifically, the 3C and 24C potencies had the greatest effect on root length, the 6C and 12C potencies had the greatest effect on shoot length, the 6C had the greatest effect on total biomass growth, and the 12C on germination percentage and germination speed.

 

11. Gangar H.U. Management and Control of Genetic Processes in Cotton Plants through Homoeopathy. Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy;Vol-1 (1); 2007. In this Indian research, the effects of homeopathically prepared solutions on a broad range of parameters, using plants as the subjects, were measured. The homeopathic solutions were used in CM (100,000C) potencies and made from differing source materials. These were then assessed for their capacity to influence growth, germination, flowering and fruiting of cotton plants, compared to inactive dilutions applied in the same manner. In all cases, the homeopathically prepared solutions had a clear and objective effect on the parameter assessed. Work was also done here which confirmed that different potencies of different homeopathic drugs have a remedy-specific electrical charge.

 

12. Rossi F, Melo PCT, Ambrosano EJ, Guiraão N, Schaminass EA. Application of homeopathic remedy Carbo vegetabilis and development of plants of Lettuce. Int J High Dilution Research, 5, 17 (2006), 23-30. A significant amount of work has been done to determine the effect effects of homeopathically prepared substances have on plants. This study sought to investigate the effect of a number of different potencies of the homeopathic product, Carbo vegetalis, on the development of seedlings of the lettuce, Lactuca sativa. Lettuce seedlings housed in an environment likely to induce stress, a shaded greenhouse and a greenhouse in full sun, were exposed to Carbo veg 6C, 12C, 30C, 100C or one of 2 control substances. An analysis of the results confirmed the action of Carbo veg in these environments, with the 100C have the most notable effect on seedlings grown in the stressed environment.