Homeopathy: An alternative medicine or placebo?

livemint.com:

Homeopathy for covid-19: panacea or false hope? Rajpuria is not alone in her faith in this alternative form of medicine. According to a report by Business Research Insights, the global homeopathic medicine market size was $854.4 million in 2021 and the market is projected to touch $1687.98 Million By 2031. As per the Ministry of Ayush, homeopathy is the second most popular system of medicine after allopathy in India with roughly 10% of the population relying solely on homeopathy for treatment and as per a Statista report, as of January 2021, there were approximately more than three lakh homeopathy doctors across India.

Homeopathy was developed by German physician and chemist Samuel Hahnemann in 1796. It is an alternative medicine based on the theory that a diluted form of a substance that causes the illness can also cure the illness. This diluted substance encourages the body to heal itself.

Doctors from Dr. Prasanta Banerji Homoeopathic Research Foundation in Kolkata insist that homeopathy runs on the same principle as Ayurveda, uses the same plants and herbs, but with a different level of potency – it uses a highly diluted form of the herb or mineral. The process of dilution and shaking is called ‘succussion’ and it is believed that the more a substance is diluted this way, the better it treats the symptoms.

Most homeopathic remedies consist of minerals or herbs that have been diluted in water multiple times, and almost none of the original substance remains in the final medicine. While Dr. Banerji’s Foundation believes that “there is nothing incurable in homeopathy", it is this diluted form of medicine that sometimes raises questions regarding the medicine’s efficacy.