DOES A HIGHLY DILUTED HOMEOPATHIC DRUG-ACT AS A PLACEBO IN HEALTHY-VOLUNTEERS - EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF BELLADONNA-30C IN DOUBLE-BLIND CROSSOVER DESIGN - A PILOT-STUDY

A basic tenet of homoeopathy is that remedies which do not contain act ive molecules can have effects on the healthy human organism, by virtu e of the specific preparation process of stepwise dilution and succuss ion, called potentization. The claim that a so called high 'potency' o f a homoeopathic remedy, Belladonna C30, could produce effects differe nt from placebo, was investigated in a pilot study. In a double-blind crossover trial, 4 weeks of Belladonna C30 were compared to 4 weeks of placebo in 47 healthy volunteers. Data were collected daily. The numb er and types of changes were recorded into a predefined category syste m. Single-case evaluation showed differences between the two experimen tal phases for 21 subjects. Group evaluation showed no clearcut differ ences. The claim that homoeopathic potencies can produce symptoms othe r than placebo in healthy subjects should be put to further scrutiny.