Homeopathy is a system of alternative medicine based on the principle of “like cures like,” meaning that a substance that causes symptoms in a healthy person can be used in very small amounts to treat similar symptoms in a sick person. This concept was developed in the late 18th century by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician.

A basic belief behind homeopathy is “like cures like.” In other words, something that brings on symptoms in a healthy person can — in a very small dose — treat an illness with similar symptoms. This is meant to trigger the body’s natural defenses.

For example, red onion makes your eyes water. That’s why it’s used in homeopathic remedies for allergies. Treatments for other ailments are made from poison ivy, white arsenic, crushed whole bees, and an herb called arnica.

While conventional doctors had a death rate of 50 per cent, homeopaths cured 80 per cent of their patients. Homeopaths also enjoyed tremendous success in treating cases of yellow fever, typhoid and scarlet fever. Homeopathy had a large impact on the practice of medicine.

Clinical trials have been conducted and generally demonstrated no objective effect from homeopathic preparations. The fundamental implausibility of homeopathy as well as a lack of demonstrable effectiveness has led to it being characterized within the scientific and medical communities as quackery and fraud.

The efficacy of homeopathy is a subject of significant debate. Numerous scientific studies have shown that homeopathic remedies are no more effective than placebos. Critics argue that the principles of homeopathy are incompatible with the principles of chemistry and physics, particularly the law of infinitesimals, which suggests that highly diluted substances could retain therapeutic efficacy despite the lack of active ingredients.

However, proponents of homeopathy claim that the practice works on a subtle energy or information transfer level, which has yet to be fully understood by conventional science.